God of War has lasted so long because Sony Santa Monica "actually respects the fans," says Kratos actor Christopher Judge: "People invite you into their homes, the least you can do is respect what they have to say"
The current voice of Kratos, Christopher Judge, has thrown respect towards his predecessor, TC Carson, on the back of the original God of War trilogy being remade with the first voice of the titular character in tow. To him, it signifies just how much Sony Santa Monica cares about the legacy of the series, since Carson's a large part of the reason why anyone still cares.
Judge spoke on the subject during a panel at Fan Expo Boston, per Collider. "I'm glad it worked out," he says. "And the thing I'm glad, too, is that TC isn't forgotten because where we are now is because of TC Carson and how magnificent he is."
The God of War Trilogy Remake was announced back in February, giving the first three adventures starring Kratos top-down reworks. We don't have many other details beyond Carson's involvement and that it's happening, but it's exciting as is. The original God of War and its immediate sequels haven't gotten much attention since the days of the PS3, and given how big the property is now, it's high time newer fans got a history.
"I'm so happy that they're remastering the original games, and then that will find a new audience, and I just think it's wonderful," Judge adds. I'm somewhat curious both what creative liberties the devs take, and how the games themselves land overall. These are different games to the 2018 installment and Ragnarok.
Their worlds aren't as big, Kratos is more two-dimensional, he's got no little companion around him, and there are jokes and set-pieces that haven't aged well. If you know, you know. All I'm saying is I neither expect, nor necessarily want, these to be one-to-one updates.
To finish, Judge, who's been the voice of Kratos since the 2018 game and is now very much a face of the franchise, says Sony Santa Monica's reverence for the fanbase is what's keeping the series going strong after two decades. "That is a testament to not only Cory [Balrog, creative director at Santa Monica Studio], but all of Sony Santa Monica and their investment in this," he explains.
"They actually respect the fans," Judge continues. "Like, it's not that hard of a thing to do. You ask people to pay for your product, or people invite you into their homes, the least you can do is respect what they have to say, and Sony Santa Monica actually does that."
The next God of War game is Laufey, following Kratos's wife in her journey through the underworld. It's due out next year.