Sony might be doubling down on its investments in new franchises and live-service titles but it isn't about to forget the properties that made it into what it is in the first place. In fact, Santa Monica Studio, the long-time developers of the God of War franchise, are already tooling themselves for their next big adventure.

The first-party Sony studio recently posted a series of job openings within the company (16, to be exact) and while most of them don't tell much about the studio's next project, one, in particular, is a telltale sign that Kratos' next romp is just right around the corner.

The posting, which is for a Senior Combat Design for companions, states that the ideal applicant should have a minimum experience of "4 years plus in game development" and "knowledge of God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök (2022).

The latter is what is getting fans excited about what's coming. It's the only listing that specifies knowledge about the past two God of War entries, which may or may not be a mistake.

The companions is a feature first seen in God of War: Ragnarok that let players upgrade ally's skills to help Kratos take on opponents.

Besides, except for Kinetica in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, Santa Monica Studio has exclusively worked on God of War for nearly two decades. Unless Sony listened and gave the studio the chance to work on a Castlevania game, which is possible. Both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its sequel, Lords of Shadow 2, were largely described as a mix of God of War and Zelda.

So, is Santa Monica Studios working on the next God of War game? The answer is a probable yes.

God of War: Ragnarok was a commercial and critical hit for the PS4 and PS5 last year despite losing the Game of the Year award to Elden Ring. It was considered the best game to hit the PlayStation platform in its launch year and many see it as one of the best games ever. If Sony and Santa Monica Studio were other studios, we'd have probably seen at least one DLC or expansion announced by now to capitalize on the success.

But, Santa Monica Studio doesn't operate like that. Instead, it's focused on the next big thing, which, in this case, is the third entry in the "rebooted" God of War franchise.

If we assume that the game has only begun development, God of War: Ragnarok likely won't come out until 2027 at the earliest. By then, the PlayStation 6 would've already been announced if not released already.

Speaking of Sony, it's believed that the company held back in its recent PlayStation Showcase. Now, it's believed that more events are coming later this year where Sony will reveal more details about a certain AAA PC port, Project Q, and its latest earbuds.