God of War 3 Game Director Wanted to Leave Out Sex Mini-game

Stig Asmussen ponders Kratos' sex life in an interview from a recent God of War 3 press event.

LOS ANGELES -- Would a God of War game be a God of War game without a sex mini-game?

The venerated franchise in the action game genre is known for several of its gameplay staples, including its controversial sex mini-games. So far every God of War title (even the PSP version) has included an optional, hidden section of the main game where protagonist Kratos engages in a sexually suggestive scene allowing players to press buttons in order for the Greek beefcake to please a handful of topless maidens.

But at first, God of War 3 game director Stig Asmussen didn't want to include it this time around.

"It was more a debate between me and several of the story writers," said Asmussen to UGO during a God of War 3 press event in Los Angeles last week. "I was like, 'I'd rather not have it in there at all.'"

When I asked him what the purpose of the sex mini-game was, he said, "You asked a very fine question, and I felt sort of the same way. What is the point? If we do it, it has to have a point."

Asmussen maintained that in the previous titles, the mini-game did have a function. In God of War, it was to there to show that Kratos was a "man's man," the game director said. "It was like this guy, he gets what he wants, and you learn that right at the beginning of the game. It was a really important tool in establishing that."

As for God of War 2, gamers liked it so much that the developers decided to do it again. But for the third one, Asmussen said, "It became one of these things where we’re damned if we do, and we're damned if we don't."

After giving it some thought, Asmussen eventually decided that the sex mini-game could be fun if done right. "We make it more than it's been in the past, but we also give it more of a purpose," he said. "It's not just you going in there, finding some corner and having sex with somebody. It's something that guides you through the story. You get information and more than just a fluff moment."

He also said that women on the development team helped craft the story behind the sex mini-game, and he wasn't worried about alienating any female gamers who might take offense.

"Women like sex too... I don't know, it's not like we're doing a porno or something," he said.

"I definitely think about the female audience when I think about violence against females, though," he added. "We always try to do (the sex) in a way where the woman had a choice, and we wouldn't want to do something like a rape scene or anything like that. I get what you're saying, but violence against women is something we definitely avoided."

The game director wouldn't spoil the sex mini-game for me, but definitely expect Kratos to get it on with "a goddess and a couple other people."

God of War 3 will be released on March 16th for the PlayStation 3. (And check out more interviews from the God of War 3 event, including Asmussen talking about his role as the game director, the future of the franchise and what's going on with the God of War movie.)

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