Amazon must ensure they do not copy and paste the HBO's The Last of Us, and a Ghost of Tsushima movie is in development.
Nonetheless, video-game adaptations are yet to fully break the curse but if anyone knows a thing or two about curses, it's God of War's Kratos. Kratos' story spans several Playstation consoles, and the game God of War: Ragnarok is the second installment in God of War's second era, set in a world of Norse mythology. Originally hailing from the world of Greek mythology, Kratos, the son of Zeus, destroys the Greek pantheon of gods hence why the series switched mythologies with a soft reboot of the franchise.
The two eras of the God of War games pose a Amazon's show could benefit greatly from putting Kratos in a new timeline, with a new pantheon of gods, making the show stand apart from the games.
While a new timeline may struggle to directly confront Kratos' past and why he's called the God of War, it would not disorientate new audiences. 2018's God of War proves that flashbacks and references can be powerful tools to conjure the emotional resonance of his backstory without needing heapings of exposition. Simultaneously, a new timeline could excite the fandom of the games. A new setting means the narrative could surprise God of War veterans and not risk ruining the games. In comparison, 2022's Uncharted ripped various story beats from each game and stuck them together, which was not a universally popular choice. Damaging the relationship with the existing fandom is one reason why video-game adaptations have a poor history, and it's something Amazon should try to avoid.
Rather than being restricted by the narrative beats of previous games, the new timeline could free up the writing team to write a truly unique story. The Norse era of God of War, riffs upon the events of the mythology, such as Kratos being responsible for the beginning of Ragnarok. A new timeline could do just that - imagining Kratos being involved in the Loss of the Ancients from Aztec mythology, or being placed in a Roman timeline which would be a slight inversion of his original timeline in Greece mythology. Obviously, the ripest mythology to draw upon is Egyptian mythology and its popularity is at a high due to Marvel's Moon Knight. The most important thing that Amazon must do is to not simply do a bland retelling of God of War. An adaptation should retain its core elements - Kratos, his emotional trauma, and powers - and enhance the story through new elements. A new timeline may be a bold step but it would ensure that Amazon's God of War is not forgotten, for good or bad.