God of War Ragnarok, Sony’s new video game, includes a touching side quest about an LGBTQ+ couple who worked on the game.
On November 18, Sony Santa Monica senior gameplay programmer Sam Handrick explained the tragic story in a Twitter thread in which he “got to pitch” one of the many “favour” side quests in memory of his late partner.
“I had hoped to wait a little longer to talk about it, but I wanted to share it now just in case,” he explained.
There’s something in God of War Ragnarok which is the most special to me. I got to pitch it and the team made it into everything I could have hoped.
I had hoped to wait for some time to talk about it but want to share it now, just in case.
It’s the Ballad of Jari and Somr. pic.twitter.com/S9itiutGbq
— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022
He urged players to “seek it out for yourself first” before explaining the details behind the creation of the side quest, adding that it’s “not a spoiler for the main story,” but it’s worthwhile.
Handrick explained that he met gameplay programmer Jake Snipes in 2019 after the two agreed to collaborate on the critically acclaimed game.
“[We] both loved Carly Rae Jepsen and Death Note, and we quickly became really close friends,” he explained. “We [became] more than that before too long.”
While working on the project, the two fell “madly in love” and even took a road trip across the United States together.

But their favorite weekend activity was staying in and playing their favorite games together, or adventuring around LA and California.
“I started to feel truly [at] home,” he explained.
The couple became well-known within the development company for baking and bringing “anything we made into the studio,” and they even won a pie-baking competition together.
Handrick and Snipes were particularly insistent on including a symbol in God of War Ragnarok to represent their love for one another.
“He once suggested just a heart with our initials in Norse runes carved into this world we created,” Handrick explained.
However, Snipes died in 2020 as a result of epilepsy complications, leaving Handrick “heartbroken.”
The following months were extremely difficult for the developer, who stated that he “hardly [wanted] to be alive,” but once he returned from his grief, he was determined to leave “some piece of him within the game.”
God of War Ragnarok’s ‘Across the Realms’ side quest
Sam Handrick explained that after discussing the idea of including an ode to Snipes with game director Eric Williams, he “made it so much more.”
“I told Eric and the team about Jake’s suggestion of having our initials carved into a heart, and he and the team returned with that as well as something even more special,” he explained. “A story about two men who meet in an often cruel world and discover a place to belong simply with each other.”
According to Handrick, the side quest ‘Across the Realms‘ was created as a “story to be known by many queer people.”
I will always be indebted to Eric Williams. Jake and I used to talk to him every week, and each week Eric would suggest a new LA spot for us to explore together that weekend.
When I returned to work I asked Eric if we could include a memorial to Jake. He made it so much more. pic.twitter.com/aHLAgcHBXC
— Sam Handrick (@MDSVeritas) November 18, 2022
The side quest has protagonist Kratos traversing multiple realms to find four items using clues featuring the Nordic initials Snipes and Handrick.
Once found, the player can prepare the ‘Meal of Comfort,’ which “warms the body and soul,” according to the game’s description.
The item is not for sale or consumption, and it grants Kratos a permanent stat boost to all of his skills.
However, players can only make it if they find the ‘Eternal Campfire,’ which, according to Handrick, “never stops burning, even on the coldest days, even on the nights you don’t want to live through.”
“It will stand for all time in this world we at [Sony Santa Monica] created, carrying the story of a man in whom I discovered something unnamable.” Something I still have.”
One of the last tweets on Jake Snipes’ Twitter page shows the two developers embracing on a pristine beach, with the caption “My best friend.”
Source:
Amelia Hansford
Pink News