2018’s God of War kick-started a new era in the franchise moving on to the Norse mythology. The earlier sequels were based on Greek mythology, which ended with the 2010 title God of War 3. The 2018 title was also the first title to have Christopher Judge voice the titular protagonist. Judge has been acclaimed for his work on the title and the franchise’s next two games as well.
In a rare behind-the-scenes video from the shooting of an iconic scene in the 2018 title, Judge is seen explaining his experience while going through the scene. Explaining the dramatic scene, he proceeds to mention it’s both a love letter to his kids and a note of apology.
Judge Got Emotional While Recalling a Particular Scene
Judge has voiced for plenty of animated series and video games as well. Joining the award-winning franchise to voice the titular protagonist was no mean feat and Judge accomplished it spectacularly well in all three games in the franchise.
The game has a bunch of intense moments and intense fights, and the intensity has only gone up in last year’s God of War Ragnarok. The 2018 title features a particularly intense scene where Kratos picks up the famous Blades of Chaos for the first time in the game. In a behind-the-scenes video, Judge can be seen talking through the scene while getting teared up.
That BTS footage was part of an almost two-hour documentary released by Sony titled Raising Kratos back in 2018. The theme of the entire documentary revolved around the struggles of working on projects as massive as this franchise.
Judge explained that the scene was pretty early on during filming for the game and while getting to it, he had to ponder whether or not to go ahead with it as it was “moving“, and whether to take the “scab off” as a human being.
As Kratos picks up the blades, the spirit of the Greek goddess Athena makes a cameo and mentions how he cannot hide his true self and that he will remain a monster. To this, Judge is seen replying “I know” and at this point in the documentary, he is seen getting quite emotional. Describing this scene, Judge said in a way his entire performance was a “love letter” to his kids and also an apology.
Judge has two sons and having worked in films, television, and games for the past thirty years, it would have meant spending not as much time with his kids as Judge would have liked to. Judge was not the only one seen in the documentary who got emotional while relating the project to personal experiences and struggles while connecting with others in the team and their kids.
God of War Team Shared Their Struggles While Working
The documentary reveals the sacrifices made not just by Christopher Judge but also by several other members who were part of the project. Unlike the first three games of the Greek mythology era, the 2018 title featured Kratos going on an adventure accompanied by his adolescent son, Atreus.
Game director Cory Barlog mentioned that he could relate to the protagonist’s struggles while bonding with Atreus in the game saying it mirrored his struggles around others working on the project. Barlog had his struggles with his team as seen in the documentary with the developers feeling a lot of changes were constantly being made close to the Beta release.
Executive producer Shannon Studstill also teared up when asked about her sacrifices and eventually declined to answer. Studstill does open up towards the end of the documentary and reveals her anxieties working on the project as a working parent.
Studstill reveals having wondered plenty of times about whether or not she and others who are also working parents “really spend enough time” with each one’s children. Studstill mentions never having the right answer to it and that she always hoped the job’s stresses never got in the way of her trying to be the best parent she was trying to be.
Studstill also thanked her kids for “being the very best” in 2018’s The Game Awards while accepting the Game of the Year award. She also mentioned all the other families in the team who gave “many months, many hours, many years” to make the game possible.
While the effort taken behind creating a AAA title is well-known in the gaming industry, personal struggles and familial disconnects are not often highlighted which Sony did a good job of showcasing in the documentary.
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