The relationship between Kratos and Atreus as father and son is imperative to the new God of War. It’s the catalyst that sets the stage in those early moments, and it persists throughout. The ashen-skinned Spartan is making up for a previous family lost, a loss that led to a life of vengeance and suffering. Atreus is central to this new chapter of Kratos’s story, not only in narrative, but as a key component of the gameplay, and he almost didn’t happen.
Sony was apparently worried about the cost of adding Atreus into the game in such a central role. Speaking to GameSpot, God of War Director Cory Barlog talked about how different the game would have been had Sony cut Atreus early in development.
It would have been very different. The early phase when they told me, “Man, this might be too hard, too expensive, we’re already looking at so many challenges, it’s maybe too much.” When I went back and said, “Alright, fine, if it was not with Atreus, what would it be"” And, it would have been a very, very different game" The comparison I made was, “Alright, it’s gonna be All Is Lost with Robert Redford”; it’s gonna be one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won’t understand anything anybody’s saying.” Apparently Sony liked the idea of having Atreus far better than that of an aged Kra...