Phil Spencer Praises God Of War Director’s Leadership Following The Sequel’s Delay

Outside of the world of Xbox, one of the biggest upcoming games on PlayStation - God of War 2 - has been pushed back to 2022. It’s an unsurprising move for many, but a small minority have taken the opportunity to verbally attack members of the team at Santa Monica Studios over its delay, which has resulted in the game’s director Cory Barlog stepping in and damning the abuse his team has received. As a result, Xbox head Phil Spencer has shared a few words commemorating Barlog’s leadership.

While we won’t share the abusive messages the team were sent here, Barlog’s tweet surrounding the matter stated any upset fans should be angry with him for the delay. He claimed he made the call for its delay, not the team, and reiterated that they are all doing great work in its development.

“You want to be mad at somebody for ANYTHING GOW related - the delay, ps4/5, trolls, subtitle size, Sigrun, whatevs - be angry with me.

I made the calls. I did this.

Don’t bother the team, they are all very good people doing great work.”

This response struck a chord with Spencer, who later replied to congratulate Barlog on his leadership standard, adding: “This is what leadership looks like.”

2Phil Spencer Praises God Of War Director’s Leadership Following The Sequel’s Delay

No developer or representative should ever be abused for the delay of a game. It’s these delays that have delivered us some of the best games in recent years, and ultimately made for a better product. Games such as Cyberpunk 2077 are clear examples of titles rushed out the door, and studios that step in to not only ensure the game is great, but look after the welfare of their team, should be celebrated.

Gaming industry members such as Spencer and Barlog are clear examples of what developers should be striving for. A healthy working atmosphere and clear communication with fans. While we’ll never see God of War hit Xbox, it’s still fantastic to see the two companies support each other against toxicity within the community and recognise the hard work others are doing to ensure the industry is a safer place.

What do you think about Spencer’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.