The artist's unfinished work became a source of inspiration.
Kratos from God of War might not have gotten his specific pale skin — this color scheme essentially appeared by chance.
Stig Asmussen, lead environment artist, shared his memories in a conversation with Retro Gamer:
The decision to cover Kratos in ashes was made early on. [Game Director David Jaffe once] saw an illustration. Lead concept artist Charlie Wen hadn't had time to paint the skin yet, so Kratos remained white. And David then said that it was very cool. I don't know if he thought at that moment about covering Kratos in ashes, but this case could have been a catalyst.
God of War is built around contrasting scenes. The developers used marble and reflective surfaces in the location design — against their background, the blood and bodies of defeated opponents looked more expressive. Kratos with white skin was a good fit for this visual style of the game.
