Kratos’ voice actor, Christopher Judge, says he’s the reason why God of War: Ragnarok was delayed. In a tweet, Judge writes that he needed multiple surgeries in 2019 and that God of War developer Sony Santa Monica studios delayed the game so he could recover and continue voicing video games’ favorite problematic dad.
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
Judge goes on to praise Sony Santa Monica for its dedication and compassion, saying, “Everyone involved in the GofW franchise puts their hearts and souls in every frame you see.”
2018’s God of War was a continuation of the seminal PlayStation hack ‘n slash franchise but a stark departure from the previous games’ rage-filled hyper-violence. In it, Kratos is older, wiser, but not necessarily kinder, as he navigates being a father to his young son Atreus. Christopher Judge won recognition for his role as Kratos, with his constant growling of the word “Boy,” now synonymous with the character and a popular meme.
Sony teased Ragnarok, the follow-up to God of War, last year with a 2021 release date. However, in June of this year, Sony Santa Monica announced it had decided to delay the game into 2022. The delay wasn’t particularly shocking since the COVID-19 pandemic caused several games slated for a 2021 release to be postponed. But according to Judge, it seems the pandemic might not have been the reason for Ragnarok’s new release date.
“Sony Santa Monica has never said a word about the delay, and what caused it,” Judge writes. “Studios are assholes, but this company, from top to bottom, should give us hope.”
Judge began his Twitter thread after God Of War won IGN’s “Best Video Game of All Time” competition, beating out GTA V for the honor. The competition itself was noteworthy if only for its ability to upset nearly every member of the video gaming public with highly questionable matchup outcomes. I don’t know how the nigh-undisputed masterpiece Chrono Trigger lost to *checks notes* Burnout 3: Takedown, but it did, and we, as a species, are worse for it.
Judge closed his thread with an anecdote about how he almost quit God of War entirely when he learned long-time God of War director Cory Barlog would not be directing Ragnarok. When Barlog asked him to trust him and Ragnarok’s new director Eric Williams, Judge agreed.
“Update, Eric Williams is a motherfuckin’ beast!!!” Judge writes.
