Although God of War III was confirmed to be the end of the God of War trilogy, the possibility of more games in the God of War franchise was always left open. Rumours started appearing in early 2011 that a new God of War game would be released in 2012, and would feature online multiplayer.
The game was leaked by Amazon on 18th April 2012, and officially announced one day later with a trailer. It is being developed by veteran God of War designer Todd Papy, the fourth lead designer to work on the series. On 30th April, the engine was confirmed as being an updated version of the God of War III engine, and that eight-player multiplayer would be available.
At E3 2012, the game's North American release date was confirmed as 13th March 2013. At gamescom 2012, it was announced that a multiplayer beta would take place in 2012. According to a PlayStation Plus voucher, this beta will start on 13th November 2012.
God of War: Ascension is being developed by SCE Studios Santa Monica and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America/
