PETA has taken issue with the depictions of animal violence inGod of War Ragnarokand one mid-game boss, in particular. Earlier this week, the nonprofit took to social media to voice its displeasure with the game’s treatment of a giant wolf-like creature from Norse mythology that players have to fight before reaching a certain location. UnlikePETA’s recent protests against Kyle Rittenhouse’s Turkey Shoot, the tone of its latest instance of game criticism suggests that the statement is meant to be more of a publicity stunt than a completely serious stand for animal rights.People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is one of the most well-known animal rights organizations on the planet, not least because it’s fairly up-to-date with the times, as evidenced by its long track record of successful politicization of video games. Over the years, PETA’s use of gaming to highlight not just the human mistreatment of animals but the very perception of what constitutes animal abuse has led to everything from meta protests ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonstoattempts to remove cockfighting fromFar Cry 6.Warning! Mid-game spoilers aheadRELATED:PETA Organizes Animal Crossing: New Horizons Protest In GameIn a tweet from earlier this week, PETA has now taken aim atGod of War Ragnarok’sdepiction of Garm, a giant wolf-dog hybrid from Norse mythology that players encounter midway through the game. The animal rights organization has likened the beast’s “wrong” treatment to that of Great Grey Wolf Sif, a boss from FromSoftware’s hit 2011 RPGDark Soulswhom it also protested. The nonprofit called upon the developers at Santa Monica Studio to add a “PETA mode” toGod of War Ragnarokwhich would allow players to get through the game without fighting Garm after freeing him from his chain.
While some Twitter users seemed sympathetic to the sentiment, others took issue with what they deemed was a publicity stunt on PETA’s part, calling for the organization to do more to help real-life animals instead of “trying to get noticed by commenting on popular things,” as one person put it. Historically, PETA’s stances on video games have been somewhat inconsistent, as exemplified by itsdecision to criticizeFar Cry 5for fishingwhile ignoring its rather elaborate depictions of animal violence which were part of the core gameplay loop.
Digital mythical animal rights aside, Santa Monica Studio’s latest game has already been a massive hit. According to recent reports,God of War Ragnarokstarted breaking sales recordsfrom day one, thus neatly rounding out Sony’s 2022 lineup of PlayStation exclusives.
God of War Ragnarokis available now on PS4 and PS5.
