God of War Ragnarok’sAtreus has matured since his prior adventure with Kratos inGod of War (2018), and so did his voice actor in the past few years. Atreus' voice was edited on multiple occasions during recording sessions, adding a new challenge during the development ofGod of War Ragnarok.
In a new behind-the-scenes video by PlayStation,God of War Ragnaroksupervising dialogue director Jodie Kupsco discussed Sunny Suljic, the voice actor for Atreus, and challenges faced during voice recording. Sunny is a teenage boy in puberty, so his voice changed drastically throughoutdevelopment ofGod of War Ragnarok. Since Suljic’s voice was maturing, the development team had to adjust to new changes in production. At the same time, the team was adapting to an already extended production period during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. An extensive editing process was key to ensuring Suljic’s voice matched what players would come to expect from Atreus.
RELATED:PlayStation Stars Fan Spots Wholesome Message in God of War Ragnarok Trophy Case
Although Atreus continues to grow as a young man inGod of War Ragnarok, not much time has passed since the end of the previous game. The production team had to “even-out” Suljic’s performances so that Atreus' voice would be consistent with his performance inGod of War (2018). Pandemic rules also limited the work involving motion capture, so the production team had to work around limitations while ensuring the voice of Atreus met the desired results. These challenges did not exist during development ofGod of War (2018), but the studio adapted to the conditions without compromising on valuable story content.
God of War Ragnaroksenior producer Ariel Angelotti reassures fans that cinematics were not changed in development. The same characters originally planned to appear within all ofGod of War Ragnarok’scinematics are present, so players won’t have to worry about cut content in that sense. According to Angelotti, the team needed to “get creative” with shooting content under various limitations without compromises. Suljic’s voice work should meet player expectations whenGod of War Ragnarokreleases next month.
The team at Sony Santa Monica is dedicated to creating a polished and worthwhile experience toendGod of War’sNorse saga. Atreus is an important character in the current story, so it was vital for the studio to ensure Suljic’s voice fits the character for this final journey.
Fortunately, the maturing voice of Suljic did not interfere with the voice work of others during the production process.God of War Ragnarokrecently went gold, which means the game is ready for mass production ahead of launch. Christopher Judge returns as Kratos, and the dialogue between father and son should be memorable inGod of War Ragnarok.
God of War Ragnaroklaunches November 9 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
MORE:God of War Ragnarok’s Asgard Shouldn’t Take Cues from the MCU
