Original God of War Creator Speaks Out Against Harassment of Laufey's Creative Director Following Viral Criticism

David Jaffe, the original creator, co-writer, and director of God of War, has addressed his viral comments about Ariel Lawrence, the creative director of Laufey.

Ariel Lawrence has been involved with the God of War series since its inception, but Jaffe, who departed the franchise in 2007 to establish his own studio, claims they never saw eye to eye during his tenure at Santa Monica Studio.

During a September 2026 live stream reacting to God of War Laufey footage, Jaffe described their contentious working relationship, stating that their personalities clashed and that he felt she lacked genuine passion for the games they were developing.

"I have no issue with female directors whatsoever," he began. "This woman started as an assistant producer when we were making the first God of War. She and I never got along. She found me somewhat obnoxious, and I found her pretentious. She didn't prioritize the audience.

"The people I didn't get along with on God of War were, in my view, those more focused on climbing the corporate ladder rather than fighting for a creative vision. I sensed a lack of passion from her, and she could also be quite judgmental towards me."

Jaffe also criticized Cory Barlog for creating Laufey in the first place, calling it a "stupid" game, and questioned why Barlog couldn't "sit Ariel down and say, 'This isn't ready.'"

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Unsurprisingly, Jaffe's remarks went viral, igniting debates among God of War fans and the wider gaming community. Shortly after, Jaffe took to Twitter/X to clarify his statements, condemning those who used his words to harass Lawrence online.

"Look, I personally didn't like Ariel and I don't think she cared much for me when we worked together. Oil and water, just very different people. And honestly, she was probably more liked on the team than I was. You see, if you haven't noticed, I can be, as my ex-wife says, 'a lot,'" he wrote.

"And so in this video, I was responding to and sharing that aspect of our time working together. That's the only way I would ever talk about former colleagues, be it good or bad experiences. For people to use my experience with Ariel as an excuse to make personal attacks on her is just low and shitty.

"She's a real person—just like you—with a life and feelings and people who care for her and love her, and it just seems really fucking cruel to do that. Plus, have you looked in your own mirror? I've looked in mine; that shit's scary! You see this fucking beard?!? Good lord, I'm days away from moving to the North Pole..."

Look, I personally didn't like Ariel and I don't THINK she cared much for me back when we worked together. Oil and Water, just very different types of people. And honestly, she was probably more liked on the team than I was. You see, if you haven't noticed, I can be, as my... https://t.co/kw0g4JGnMf

Laufey has unfortunately been a target for online outrage, and Jaffe's remarks are adding fuel to the fire. When the game was first revealed in June, trolls' comments about Deborah Ann Woll's appearance and their anger over a woman leading a God of War game flooded social media, and this finger-pointing has not stopped, merely slowed down.

Other games have since borne the brunt of the internet's apparent boredom, as seen in the debate surrounding Insomniac's Wolverine. But Laufey has still caught strays, with The Last of Us director Bruce Straley citing it as an example of why modern AAA games no longer "excite" him (though he later apologized for this comment).

God of War Laufey is set to release on February 16, 2027, exclusively for PlayStation 5.