God of War: Ragnarok Director Talks About Ratatoskr’s Involvement

Ratatoskr is a squirrel who guards the World Tree of Yggdrasil. He first appeared in God of War (2018) as his foul-mouthed manifestation called Bitter who can be summoned by Atreus. However, in God of War: Ragnarok, Kratos and Atreus finally meet his real self. 

In a recent interview, God of War: Ragnarok director, Eric Williams discussed the character development of Ratatoskr, and how he fought to keep him in the game. 

Williams explained that Ratatoskr is one of the many reasons Ragnarok is said to be the funniest God of War title. He wanted certain jovial elements in the God of War sequel to balance out its otherwise dark and heavy tone. 

Upon seeing Ratatoskr’s first appearance in God of War: Ragnarok, several developers were confused whether they were going too far with the character. Some even argued that the small rodent resting on Kratos’ shoulder was an unusual sight, and an unnecessary addition to the game. However, Williams was hellbent on keeping him, and eventually everyone also came around to the decision.

I wanted him to do these things and everyone was like, ‘We have to cut this. We have too many characters.’ And I was like, ‘No! He’s staying in the game.

Eric Williams

The actor for Ratatoskr, SungWon Cho, revealed that he was a part of the project way before it was announced to fans. Williams was sure he wanted Cho to play the part since day one. 

Cho worked on Ratatoskr’s personality, and wrote his dialogues, including how he deals with his spectral projections which is a significant point that was addressed in Ragnarok. The writing team stuck to Cho’s script, except for a couple of minor changes. 

Unfortunately, one very potentially funny scene did fail to make the cut. Cho was asked to write a rap battle between Ratatoskr and Brok in the Norse Flyting style. This epic segment was cut from the final game, but if there is high demand, Santa Monica Studio might actually release the clip. 

God of War Ragnarok is available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

About God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok is an action-adventure game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released on November 9, 2022, for PS4 and PS5.

Ragnarok is the ninth installment in the God of War series, chronologically, and the sequel to 2018’s God of War. Loosely based on Norse mythology, the game is set in ancient Norway and features series protagonists Kratos and his young son Atreus. The events of the game are expected to initiate Ragnarok – a series of events that, according to Norse lore, bring about the end of days and the death of the Norse gods.