9 Video Game Ideas We’re GLAD Got Cancelled

6. Sticking With What Works & Ditching Atreus - God of War (2018)

It's safe to say God of War is the game of the eighth generation. The most recommendable, easily enjoyable, powerfully resonant thematically and mature in its re-approaching of what Kratos as a character represents, and what he can be going forward.

All-round, Creative Director Corey Barlog and the team at Santa Monica turned in an immaculate piece of art, but dive into the project's history and you'll find endless stories of non-stop uphill battles, alongside the idea of removing Atreus at every turn.

As Barlog touched on in many documentaries, even Sony's own Shuhei Yoshida couldn't get on board with what he and the team were putting together, actively walking out of an in-person gameplay demo. An early QA tester was furious that Santa Monica were "ruining Kratos!", and as Corey told Gamespot, "it was the most stress you could possibly deal with".

From the beginning through to shipping, everyone other than Corey was insisting that Kratos and God of War remain the way it was.

Thankfully - and you can see the outpouring of emotion from a creative lead being proven right in Corey's reaction video to God of War's review scores - Barlog held true, and we got an exemplary effort he and everybody involved can be proud of for the rest of their lives.