The non-profit organisation PETA, which fights for the ethical treatment of animals has, commented that the highly anticipated God of War Ragnarök game needs a PETA mode. The comment was made via the PETA Twitter feed and stated that the mode is needed so the game can be played without “violence to animals”.
This isn’t the first time that PETA have spoken out against in-game animal cruelty after they stepped in to express their thoughts on Far Cry 6’s beat-’em-up inspired mini-game featuring fighting roosters. PETA representatives stated that turning cockfighting into a playable mini-game was wrong and it should instead be replaced with something that does not glorify cruelty.
Fans of any of the God of War games might suggest that protagonist Kratos has an affinity for battle (the game is called God of War after all) so as much is to be expected. The latest release for the franchise features many battles throughout, with some containing fights with animals — albeit most are mythical creatures — although the PETA post highlights one fight in particular.
Boss fight spoiler warning:
BOY, it’s like Grey Wolf Sif all over again.
If you’re cold, they’re cold. Tyr was wrong to chain this pup up and leave him outside in the freezing cold of Helheim.@SonySantaMonica we need a “PETA mode” so #GodofWarRagnarok can be played without violence to animals! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/AQ0x7n8K1s
— PETA (@peta) November 16, 2022
The post highlights a specific boss fight with none other than the giant wolf Garm. This battle takes place in the frozen realm of Helheim and sees our father-son duo battle it out with this realm-tearing beast. The post also nudges to another big wolf fight noting that “it’s like Grey Wolf Sif all over again” a boss fight which featured in Dark Souls.
Some users found the post to be quite the stretch considering it’s a video game and no harm to animals, be they real or mythical can actually take place. Others saw the comment simply as a publicity stunt, using a popular video game release to generate some traffic and buzz around PETA so their more serious goals can gain further exposure.
Creative director at Santa Monica Studio’s Cory Barlog replied to the tweet stating “You know it’s not a real wolf right? We do not encourage anyone to fight or hurt any animals in the real world.”
The title does stop the player from causing harm to certain animals throughout the game as various realms have animals within the environment that the player is unable to launch an attack on. The Garm fight in question also has a silver lining to its battle that sees the beast go unharmed.
God of War Ragnarök has received widespread critical acclaim and has seen more copies sold in a single day than any previous release from the franchise achieved within an entire week.
