The god of war Laufey gets a lot wrong about the god of war Sekhmet

God of War Laufey was recently revealed at Sony's June 2026 State of Play, where Santa Monica Studios revealed that the titular giantess will be the protagonist, rather than Kratos or Atreus. Perhaps less surprising was the revelation of it God of war would again swing to other divine pantheons, with Laufey loop in at least two gods from non-Norse, non-Greek mythologies.

These two deities are Sekhmet and Begtse, the Egyptian and Mongol gods of war. In it God of War Laufey Revealing the gameplay, we first see the fierce, nervous Begtse, whose scaly red skin, shock of swept-back hair, and gnarled fangs give him the look of a typical Western-style demon. As terrifying as he is, he may not be the “big bad” of the game. His partner Sekhmet soon joins the fray, and she seems to take on more of a leadership role. While the pair of deities appear to be aligned, they also contrast each other: Begtse is a massive, brute-like force of nature, while Sekhmet's design is more human-like, graceful and feminine, drawing inspiration from traditional depictions of the goddess while boasting some of Santa Monica's own creative liberties, for better or for worse.

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God of War Laufey seems to have an alternate take on Sekhmet

If you looked up Sekhmet after seeing her introduced in God of War Laufey reveal, you'd be forgiven for being a little shocked, as traditional depictions of the goddess look quite different from her appearance in Laufey. Perhaps the biggest difference is due to the head of the goddess: in traditional illustrations, Sekhmet has the head of a lioness. In fact, her aesthetic is decidedly feline overall, as she often appears with claws and fur-like skin as well.

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Santa Monica's view of the goddess is much more familiar. Sekhmet entered God of War Laufey has both the face and body of a human female, as well as blue skin, neither of which matches her aforementioned appearance. It's a bit strange, as Begtse looks clearly monstrous and fundamentally inhuman God of War Laufey. Perhaps Santa Monica Studios felt that two monstrous new gods would be a bridge too far, especially from before God of war games tend to feature gods that are more humanoid. But personally I prefer it when God of war comes out with its visual design, as with Hafgufa in God of War Ragnarokor Hephaestus i God of War 3so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed with this Sekhmet design.

Does it really matter if God of War Laufey doesn't get Sekhmet's design “right”?

Of course, Santa Monica is free to adapt mythologies however it likes – it's certainly taken far greater creative liberties than this Sekhmet discrepancy in the past. The same can be said for any medium that adapts mythological stories and characters. For example, Hades isn't exactly an accurate adaptation of any Greek poem, either Thor Marvel comics consistent with Norse mythology. So no, it doesn't matter at all God of War Laufey is accurate in its depiction, and in fact creative differences may set the stage for further interesting developments.

For example, Laufeys rendering of Sekhmet has a surprising number of cobra motifs in addition to the conventional uraeus on her headdress. Cobras are usually associated with the powerful Egyptian goddess Wadjet, protector of Lower Egypt. Similarly, Sekhmet's blue skin and human face could connect her to Amun, an ancient Egyptian god often depicted as a blue-skinned humanoid. As it happens, Amun merged with Ra, Sekhmet's father, in later Egyptian mythology. Perhaps God of War LaufeySekhmet's view of Sekhmet is a reference to these beings, or perhaps it signals a coming overthrow. For example, maybe Laufey's Sekhmet teamed up with Wadjet and Amun-Ra, making her seemingly flawed appearance actually a sign of something bigger, narratively speaking.