The man, the myth, the legend that is Christopher Judge, the voice behind the gravelly tones of Kratos in God of War Ragnarök, has asked for an end to console wars.
During his acceptance speech for the Performer in a Leading Role award, Judge took a moment to get real with the audience, drawing attention to the long and, frankly, tired competitiveness of the gaming community. "Thank you to the fans. Be easier on each other. You 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."
Anyone within the gaming community, no matter whether you’re an avid fan of FPS or just casually farming in Stardew Valley, knows how heated console debates can get. Whenever a new console is so much as rumoured, Playstation and Xbox fans “go to war”, criticising the most minute details in an endless loop of which is best. When Microsoft said the console wars had ended, veteran gamers knew the hard truth: it’ll never end.
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It’s a rivalry that goes back to 2005, when the Xbox 360 arrived on the scene to challenge the Playstation 3, ignited by Microsoft itself. According to a former Xbox executive, it was a calculated approach to drive competition and therefore boost interest. But sadly, what should have been a flash in the pan marketing move, has dogged gamers ever since.
Considering that the Gaming BAFTAs is one of the biggest nights in gaming, it makes sense that Judge chose its stage to ask for more compassion amongst fans. After all, God of War Ragnarök united all walks of players, having sold over 11 million copies worldwide, 5.1 million of which happened in the first week of release, beating The Last of Us 2’s record!
Although Judge’s words of wisdom arguably left an imprint on the gaming community, it wasn’t just his talents that were rewarded that night – Laya Deleon Hayes, who voices Angrboda in GOW Ragnarök, won Performer in a Supporting Role, while the game won best Animation, and Audio Achievement. In all, GOW Ragnarök was nominated for 14 Gaming BAFTAs, becoming the most nominated game in BAFTA history. Even though it didn’t win every nomination, it still took home six awards.
Will the console wars finally end, though? Has a truce really been called? It’s difficult to say, but one thing for certain is that Judge is leading the way in true Kratos style.
Featured Image Credit: The Game Awards/MicrosoftTopics: God Of War, PlayStation, Xbox