David Jaffe, the creator, co-writer, and director of the original God of War, recently clarified his comments regarding Ariel Lawrence, the Creative Director of God of War: Laufey. He stated that his earlier remarks were about their shared working experience and urged others not to use them as a basis for personal attacks against Lawrence.
In September 2026, during a live stream, Jaffe watched footage of God of War: Laufey and recalled the tense relationship he had with Lawrence while working together at Santa Monica Studio. He described their personalities as incompatible and evaluated her commitment to the project based on his personal feelings. He also criticized the decision to make the game and its presentation. These comments subsequently spread on social media, sparking discussion.
Jaffe later posted on X, stating that he believed they didn't particularly like each other back then; he also acknowledged that Lawrence might have been more popular within the team than he was. He made it clear that his personal experiences should not be used as justification for attacking Lawrence. Previously, when God of War: Laufey was announced, personal attacks targeting the female-led project and the actors' appearances had already emerged.
Lawrence has been part of the team since the first God of War game. Jaffe left the series in 2007 to establish his own studio. God of War: Laufey is currently scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5 on February 16, 2027.