Surprised by GoW:A. Going by a lot of people here I thought it bombed, but it is probably over a million WW by now right? Especially once factoring the Console bundle and digital sales.
Sony probably turned a profit on it, but it's done nowhere near the numbers of the previous games. Ghost of Sparta sold about 1.2 million (as of June 2012), so hopefully Ascension will at least do better than that. I thought it was an excellent game which was almost as good as its predecessors, but it definitely felt like the franchise needed a major overhaul next time around, and I had so little interest in the multiplayer I don't think I played it even once.
Kratos going to war with Norse gods would be awesome, and could fit the two worlds colliding easter egg from Ascension. Valhalla colliding with Earth.
I don't know where they should take it next plot-wise (I would like to see a character other than Kratos, at least as the protagonist), but I played Darksiders II shortly after playing Ascension, and I thought SSM would do very well to take inspiration from that game; at least in terms of depth and game design. I really hope the next GoW game doesn't closely follow the same format, with the prescribed linear routes, fixed camera angles and an inability to jump anywhere you're not allowed (Ascension was pretty heavy on the invisible barriers).
Financially speaking, Sony/ND would be crazy not to make another TLOU. I mean, what other new IP performed this well this generation?
Um, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Gears of War, BioShock, Red Dead Redemption (basically a new IP), perhaps Mass Effect. Not taking anything away from TLoU of course, because it is an exceptional game and has done incredibly well. I'd be interested to know its sales to date. I think it'll easily sell as much as the Uncharted games (i.e. 5-6 million units).