In a series of emotional tweets, Kratos actor Christopher Judge confirmed God of War Ragnarök was delayed after he had extensive surgery, with the star noting Sony Santa Monica Studio waited for his recovery to record his God of War Ragnarök scenes. Judge's voice and motion capture performance as Kratos in God of War (2018) was lauded by players and critics, and the reception to his return in the sequel was a warm one upon the sequel's gameplay and story reveal.
This PlayStation Showcase 2021 bombshell followed God of War Ragnarok being delayed to 2022 earlier in the summer. The new release window wasn't a shock to many, but prior to the reveal of the PlayStation 5, Sony had announced the game would release in 2021. Because of the lack of details or the reveal of an official title, there was some skepticism regarding whether it would actually launch in 2021. A delay seemed inevitable, especially after fellow PlayStation exclusive Horizon Forbidden West was delayed to February 2022.
Now, Christopher Judge says God of War Ragnarok didn't meet its initially planned 2021 release window because of his health. Judge explained he underwent back, hip, and knee surgery in August 2019, expressing his surprise at Santa Monica Studio's patience and support during his recovery process rather than attempting to recast the role. Seeming to confirm Judge's statements, Santa Monica Studio head Cory Barlog replied, "would walk though a thousand fires for you, my friend." Also responding to God of War: Ragnarok's change in director from Barlog to Eric Williams, Judge says he nearly quit over the switch but stayed on for the sequel after Barlog vouched for Williams.
It's now unclear if God of War: Ragnarok may have been intended to release prior to 2021, as producer Cory Barlog previously stated he personally delayed God of War Ragnarok to 2022. It's possible the game was meant to launch alongside PS5 or shortly afterward, but perhaps Judge's health and/or other unforeseen development issues changed those plans. Whatever the case may be, Judge is clearly an essential part of the rebooted God of War series in PlayStation's eyes. He's not the original Kratos actor, but his take on the demigod character came at a time when the games' story was made more three-dimensional and relatable. Kratos has always had a tragic origin story, but his anger in the original games caused some to view him as lacking in depth. Meanwhile, the reboot's take on Kratos and Judge's performance was lauded in 2018.
Despite the setback, Sony Santa Monica and Judge appear to be hard at work to deliver another God of War entry of a similar or greater caliber. While God of War: Ragnarok currently lacks an exact release date, it likely won't be long until PlayStation narrows the window down to a specific quarter or season in 2022.
God of War Ragnarök will be available for PS4 and PS5 in 2022.
Sources: Christopher Judge/Twitter, Cory Barlog/Twitter
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