Although the character of Kratos is a mainstay in the God of War franchise, he was almost left out of the 2018 game. In 2016, early details began to emerge about the fourth title in the God of War franchise. It became known that the title would leave behind much of its Greek mythology roots and focus more on Norse mythology.
When God of War released in 2018, it found Kratos in new surroundings: in the cold north, surrounded by the legends of Odin, Thor and Freya. The story begins with the loss of Kratos' wife, leaving him as the sole parent to his son, Atreus. The game followed their adventures as they traveled across the icy land to scatter the ashes of the wife and mother who had left them behind.
However, Kratos almost didn't make it into God of War. In an interview at Gamelab in Barcelona, as reported by Eurogamer, game director Cory Barlog explained that Kratos wasn't a popular character when they first began to develop the fourth title in the franchise. In previous games, Kratos was a deliberately unlikeable antihero, and there were members on the team who felt his time was up. Barlog said: "Early in discussion, people were saying we had to get rid of Kratos. It was like, 'he's annoying, he's done.'" According to Barlog, Kratos was created as an anti-hero at a time when anti-heroes in games were rare. In 2005, he was designed to be unlikeable, but some members of the development team felt that had run its course by the time of God of War.
Fortunately, smarter heads prevailed. Barlog argued that the character could change and used his own experience as a father as the impetus for Kratos' character growth. So God of War kept Kratos and added Atreus, creating a game that would include both of them in gameplay. However, some team members felt the "escort mission" wouldn't work, but Barlog pointed out that the success of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us proved otherwise.
In God of War, Kratos went from a brutal and hardened god to a man getting in touch with his emotions as a grieving husband and father. Kratos' story in God of War grabbed players in a completely new way, and the title's storytelling earned it the Game of the Year award at the 2018 Game Awards, proving Barlog right. It also went on to become one of the top 20 games of 2018 and continues to capture the hearts and imaginations of players.
The choice to include Kratos in God of War, as well as the decision to have him evolve, with Atreus at his side, was the right one, and that was what helped create a game that included exciting gameplay with an incredibly compelling storyline. Now, no one could even imagine God of War without Kratos, so long live Kratos and son.
Source: Eurogamer