Christopher Judge, the voice actor for Kratos in 2018’s God of War, stated that a number of surgeries he required in 2019 resulted in God of War Ragnarok being delayed. In a short, heartwarming series of tweets, he expressed gratitude to Sony Santa Monica, the studio behind the game, for its unwavering support throughout his recovery.
In his tweets, Judge revealed that in August of 2019, he required hip replacement as well as back and knee surgery. Although “studios can be assholes,” Judge said Santa Monica Studio’s handling of his rehabilitation was the “classiest thing” that he’s ever seen in the business. Judge praised Santa Monica Studio for not publicly disclosing what had caused the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 game’s delay. He also propped up the God of War studio by tweeting that everyone in the company, “from top to bottom, should give us hope.”
Cory Barlog, creative director at Santa Monica Studio and director of God of War, took personal responsibility for Ragnarok’s delay back when the development team faced criticism for postponing the game, according to Eurogamer.
Barlog personally replied to Judge’s tweets, saying, “would walk through a thousand fires for you, my friend.” He coupled this tweet with the infamous Aragorn gif from The Fellowship of the Ring saying “You have my sword.” Naturally, Twitter followers joined in on the sentiment with additional Lord Of The Rings gifs in support of the former Stargate SG-1 actor.
Judge also shockingly admitted that he was initially going to quit playing Kratos when he learned that Barlog would not be returning to direct Ragnarok. Barlog, however, persuaded Judge to remain in the role, telling him that Ragnarok’s director Eric Williams is “a beast.” Judge confirmed that he now agrees with Barlog’s’ assessment, and attested that Williams is indeed “a motherfuckin BEAST.”
Judge expressed thanks to the God of War fandom as well as the team at Santa Monica Studio for allowing him to bring Kratos to life “without judgement, but with unconditional support and love.” God of War Ragnarok comes out in 2022.