Game developer George Mawle, creator of the iconic Leviathan Axe from the 2018 God of War reboot, died on September 2nd.
By now, everyone’s familiar with Marvel’s Thor and his ability to recall his hammer with just a wave of his hand. But he’s not the only character capable of that feat, as experienced by countless players in the well-loved 2018 God of War when using the impactful Leviathan Axe.
That very same weapon was designed, at least in part, by gameplay engineer George Mawle, who game director Cory Barlog described as “one of the fathers of the Leviathan feel”. Those from the God of War Santa Monica Sony studio are joined by players globally as they mourn his passing on September 2nd.
The news broke in a Twitter thread posted by combat design lead Mihir Sheth, who honours Mawle’s passing by reminiscing on their times together and going into a little more depth regarding his works.
Sheth says that while at Santa Monica Studios, Mawle worked on a myriad of systems, combat behaviours, weaponry and much more for God of War.
If you've ever enjoyed throwing & recalling the Leviathan Axe, or twirling the chains of the Blades of Chaos in GOW'18, please take a moment to recognize that it was possible in large part to the engineering and energy of George Mawle, who sadly passed away on September 2nd, 2021 https://t.co/JfoVkVJKH7
— Mihir Sheth (@youtheremehere) September 4, 2021
Despite leaving the studio in January of this year, many of Mawle’s former coworkers have taken to Sheth’s thread to express their condolences. They’re joined by countless fans too.
But the Leviathan Axe was not all Mawle accomplished in his time as a game developer. Before God of War and its huge success, he was a technical director for Radical Entertainment from 2003-2010 and worked on several other titles. Scarface: The World Is Yours, Prototype 2, and Crash of the Titans just to name a few.
Even if he’ll be best remembered for his work on God of War, it’s important for us to celebrate all of his contributions throughout the years. Sheth even went ahead and included a list of all the games Mawle’s helped to create over the years.
So if you find yourself throwing Kratos’ Leviathan Axe tonight, or flinging yourself around New York City in Prototype 2, enjoy it in memory of George Mawle.
