Christopher Judge, the actor behind the rebooted version of Kratos, has shared some interesting information about God of War Ragnarok and his involvement in the project.
On Twitter the veteran actor has shared many anecdotes with the one grabbing headlines right now being an injury which contributed to the delay of Ragnarok.
The direct sequel to God of War 2018, the game was planned for release at the end of this year but was moved to into 2022.
???? in my feels right now. I need to be forthcoming. This has been approved by no one. To the beloved fandom, Ragnarok was delayed because of me. August 2019, I couldn’t walk. Had to have back surgery, both hips replaced, and, knee surgery. They waited for me too rehab…
Cont…— Christopher Judge (@iamchrisjudge) September 30, 2021
No threats, no ,” who do you think you are?” Nothing but love and support. And @SonySantaMonica has never said a word about the delay, and what caused it. Studios are assholes, but this company from top to bottom, should give us hope. What they did for the crew is way more…
— Christopher Judge (@iamchrisjudge) September 30, 2021
Cory Barlog, creative director on God of War 2018 and a long-time employee of Santa Monica Studio, replied to Judge’s tweet.
“would walk through a thousand fires for you, my friend.❤” Barlog wrote.
We don’t bring up that tweet just to feel good about comradery in the videogame industry (though it is nice to see) because Judge also talks about the creative director.
Rather infamously Barlog left work on Ragnarok and was replaced as director by Eric Williams.
While staff changes like this are usually overlooked by the wider gaming community, Barlog has had a big impact on the God of War franchise and 2018’s entry was a particularly personal project.
In the “Raising Kratos” documentary, Barlog reveals how his personal life and the birth of his child really impacted the story and themes of family in God of War 2018.
Anyone who has played the game will attest to how effective this theme is and how it’s central to the game as a whole.
This staff change not only left players on the outside worried, but Judge too.
Last thing. Barlog told me @Tribeca that he wouldn’t be directing sequel. I quit.(no joke) he said, do you trust me?(yes) He said Eric is a beast. I said he better be… UPDATE, ERIC WILLIAMS is a motherfuckin BEAST!!! @SonySantaMonica
— Christopher Judge (@iamchrisjudge) September 30, 2021
Peaks behind the curtain like this don’t usually come up so it’s interesting to learn about even if it all sounds rather stressful.
We’re glad Ragnarok seems to be on track for release next year with Judge returning. While the new version of Kratos was a shock at first the performance in the 2018 reboot was so convincing that most people can’t think about the character without Judge’s voice and mannerisms to accompany him.
For those wondering about our header image above, it’s from this great moment in The Game Awards 2018 with God of War co-star Sunny Suljic.