God of War Ragnarök’s Kratos actor calls for an end to console wars

God of War Ragnarök actor Christopher Judge has called on players to stop getting involved in console wars.

The actor, who was giving a speech after accepting the award for Performer in a Leading Role at the BAFTA Games Awards 2023, took a moment to acknowledge fans of the series, before asking them to behave more peacefully.

“Thank you to the fans,” he said. “Be easier on each other. You all have more in common than what separates you.

“No matter what platform you love, no matter what game you love, you’re still part of the gaming community, and give each other a break.”

God of War Ragnarök’s development team was subjected to so much abuse from players over the course of the game’s development that developer Sony Santa Monica had to issue a statement calling for “respect”.

After a rumoured release date announcement failed to emerge in late June 2022 as expected, some of the game’s developers reportedly received abuse on social media.

This led the studio’s creative director Cory Barlog to urge the community to “treat the people that make the things we love with some human decency and respect”.

This was followed by a message from the studio itself, saying: “Every single person at Santa Monica Studio is working to create a game that we’re proud of, one that we hope you will enjoy playing once released.

“Our fans inspire us, and we understand the passion and desire for more information. But that passion should not be toxic nor come at the expense of any human being’s dignity. Let’s celebrate our community by treating each other, every game and developer alike, with respect.”

Further reading

10

Sony Santa Monica issues statement calling for ‘respect’ following online abuse

"... passion should not be toxic nor come at the expense of any human being’s dignity"

God of War Ragnarök was the most nominated game in BAFTA’s history, with 14 nominations in total, and ended up winning six on the night, including EE Game of the Year (the only award on the night voted for by the general public) and both the performance awards.

It missed out on the coveted Best Game award, however, to Vampire Survivors.