<P> During E3 2016, GameSpot mistakenly reported that Kratos' son's name was Charlie, which Barlog laughingly denied . In January 2017, after a fan downloaded the God of War overture and saw the track's details that said "An introduction to Kratos and Atreus", Barlog confirmed on Twitter that Atreus was in fact the son's name . Barlog said that Atreus was unaware that Kratos was a demigod, and did not know about his past . They did not reveal details of Atreus' mother prior to release due to her being a critical part of the story . Barlog stated that during gameplay, Atreus would be "like magic, an additional combat resource, and (the player is) training him and teaching him ." The developers stated that Atreus would not be a burden during gameplay . The team experimented with several different approaches for Atreus to ensure that he was an empowering presence . Barlog said he did not want the game to be an escort - mission where the A.I. caused a problem for the player . Their goal was for Atreus to enhance Kratos' capabilities without Atreus becoming a liability . This resulted in the developers designating a command button for Atreus as well as for him to act freely . During combat, Atreus was also designed to call out enemy locations, as due to the camera being closer to Kratos, some enemies may be difficult for the player to see . Jason McDonald said it took a lot of iterations with the enemies and Atreus to make it all work together . </P> <P> Early in development, it was suggested for Atreus to be cut or to significantly minimize his role due to the many developmental challenges and financial expense . Barlog stated that the game could have worked without Atreus, but it would have been completely different, likening it to that of the 2013 film All Is Lost . Barlog said that with just Kratos, it would have been "one character who talks to himself occasionally, but generally, it will be very silent and everyone will talk in old Norse, so that you won't understand anything anybody's saying ." After hearing Barlog's case, Sony gave him the freedom to incorporate Atreus . Lead level designer Rob Davis also noted that with Atreus, it allowed for "significant gameplay and storytelling opportunities that might not otherwise (been) possible ." </P> <P> Bear McCreary, best known for his work on television shows such as Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead, scored God of War and composed themes for the game . McCreary said that he was called into Santa Monica Studio in November 2014 to meet with music producers Peter Scaturro and Keith Leary to discuss "a secret project"; McCreary had previously collaborated with Scaturro and Leary on 2011's SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs . Ideas of folk music, mythology, Nordic ethnic instruments, vocal writing, and classical thematic development were discussed, to which McCreary correctly guessed that the discussions were about a new God of War . He met with Barlog early on, and they discussed Barlog's narrative vision for the game . After meeting with Barlog, he felt that the franchise was in good hands because God of War II, which Barlog also directed, was his favorite installment . </P> <P> McCreary's initial efforts focused on writing the new main theme, or what he called the Kratos Theme . He spent several months working with Barlog, Scaturro, Leary, Sony music director Chuck Doud, and the rest of the development team in making this new theme . McCreary described the Kratos Theme as "arguably one of my most structurally satisfying and catchy melodies ." The main theme features low orchestral instruments, Icelandic choir, deep male vocals, powerful female vocals (in particular Faroese singer Eivør Pálsdóttir), folk percussion, and Nordic stringed instruments, such as the nyckelharpa and hurdy gurdy . When it was decided that God of War would be revealed at E3 2016, Sony wanted McCreary to perform his original score with a live orchestra at the press conference . McCreary opened the show with the new main theme before the unveiling of God of War, and performed the gameplay demo's music live during the presentation . On January 13, 2017, a live recording from E3 2016 of God of War's overture was released for free for a limited time . Barlog released the overture as a thank you to fans for God of War's E3 2016 trailer reaching fifteen million views on YouTube . </P>

Who voiced the stranger in god of war