Amazon’s Prime Video is getting into the video game adaptation business.
The streamer has greenlit a series based on the award-winning PlayStation game God of War. The Wheel of Time’s Rafe Judkins will serve as showrunner on the adaptation, and Oscar nominees Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man, The Expanse) are writing and executive producing with Judkins.
Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios are producing God of War in association with PlayStation Productions.
“God of War is a compelling, character-driven franchise that we believe will captivate our global customers as much with its expansive and immersive worlds as its rich storytelling,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “We are honored to share in the adventure of exploring the God of War mythology in such a momentous way with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions and [game developer] Santa Monica Studio.”
The series, in development since March, will follow Kratos, the God of War, who exiles himself from his blood-soaked past in ancient Greece and hangs up his weapons forever in the Norse realm of Midgard. “When his beloved wife dies,” the show’s description reads, “Kratos sets off on a dangerous journey with his estranged son to spread her ashes from the highest peak — his wife’s final wish. Kratos soon realizes the journey is an epic quest in disguise, one which will test the bonds between father and son, and force Kratos to battle new gods and monsters for the fate of the world.”
First released in 2005, God of War has won critical praise for nearly all of its iterations. The 2018 release for the PlayStation 4 also won numerous awards, including game of the year at the Game Awards. The most recent game in the series, God of War Ragnarok, debuted in November.
“We are so proud and excited to be working with our friends at Amazon Studios and our partners at PlayStation Productions to adapt this beautiful and heartbreaking game into a premium live-action series,” said Sony Pictures TV president Katherine Pope. “Rafe, Mark and Hawk are crafting a transportive series that charts a path through the ancient mythological journey of Kratos.”
Added PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash, “God of War is one of PlayStation’s most awarded video games, so we’re excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios to bring our beloved franchise to fans and new audiences in a bold and authentic way.”
God of War joins a growing list of high-profile series based on video games that also includes Halo at Paramount+ and HBO’s forthcoming The Last of Us. Sony and PlayStation Productions are also behind The Last of Us, along with series based on Twisted Metal (Peacock) and Horizon (Netflix).
Judkins, Fergus and Ostby are executive producing God of War with Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog, PlayStation Productions’ Qizilbash and Carter Swan, Santa Monica Studio’s Yumi Yang and Vertigo’s Roy Lee. Santa Monica Studio’s Jeff Ketcham is co-EP.