9 Video Games Saved By RIDICULOUSLY Last-Minute Changes

5. Not Cutting Atreus - God Of War

Kratos Atreus
Sony

Sony's most recent attempt at a God of War game works so well because of the dynamic between Kratos and his son, Atreus. The reluctant father comes to embrace his responsibilities over the course of the experience, and the relationship between the two, both in the story and in combat, works in tandem to drive home a solid bond between the characters.

However, at one point, the idea of having any companion at all was considered a massive risk that could tank the reboot and franchise as a whole.

Rather than a narrative or creative decision, the main issue was time and money. Retooling this series with a new perspective, focus and combat style was already a gargantuan task, and accomplishing all that while also getting a companion character to work convincingly in-game was even more difficult.

Director Corey Barlog worried that a companion would "probably be the straw that breaks the franchise’s back", and considered cutting him, especially when his real passion, the one-shot camera, was already a tough sell.

Fortunately, he was able to convince Sony to do both.

Also, as a bonus, the developers decided to tone down Atreus' dialogue after feedback rolled in from the first trailer, making him less talkative, and overall less annoying.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.