An in-game memorial to a developer who passed away during the creation of God of War Ragnarök was left by Sony Santa Monica, and it is pretty heartwarming.
Please note that although this homage has nothing to do with the game’s main plot, it relates to one of the side missions called “Favour.” Please stop reading if you want to avoid learning any spoilers.
Love hearts may embellish the surroundings as players explore the realms of God of War Ragnarök. The Across the Realms side-quest is related to these hearts.
This quest chronicles the tale of Jari and Some, a couple who traveled together throughout the realms in search of a place to call home. Players can locate their camp in Midgard, called the Eternal Campfire, and from there, start gathering the materials needed for the couple’s upcoming meal (thanks, SirusGaming).
Related post:
- All the Silent Hill games said to be in development
- Games People Play Season 3|Release Date|: Does Bet Officially confirm it?
Sam Handrick and Jake Snipes, a pair from Sony Santa Monica, are related to this in-game love story.
Snipes started working at Santa Monica in 2019, and they later became a couple. The two quickly developed an unbreakable bond as they traveled throughout the US together and baked (a lot) for the studio.
But their romance came to a premature end. Snipes tragically went dead in 2020 from epilepsy, leaving Handrick inconsolable.
Handrick recalled the couple’s conversation on Twitter, saying, “We’d speak about how much we’d love to leave some symbol of ourselves in Ragnarok. We made this game jointly, and it contained some clues that led to our first meeting.
“[Snipes] once suggested simply a heart, with our initials in Norse runes, carved into this world we made.”
He continued: “I told Eric [Williams, Ragnarök’s director] and the team about Jake’s suggestion of our initials carved into a heart. And he and the group returned with that and something even more special.
“A story of two men who find each other in an often cruel world and find a place to belong.
“I wanted this story to be one many queer people know: journeying through a world that doesn’t always understand you to find a place that truly feels like home.
“And sometimes that place is simply a person. And something as simple as a recipe can be a link to that home.”
You can read Handrick’s entire, excellent, thread below.
There’s something in God of War Ragnarok which is the most special to me. I got to pitch it and the team made it into everything I could have hoped.
I had hoped to wait for some time to talk about it but want to share it now, just in case.
It’s the Ballad of Jari and Somr. pic.twitter.com/S9itiutGbq
— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022
