Amazon is ditching MMOs and cranking out social gathering video games

Dear Games Team,

This morning, we’re making a variety of modifications in our Games enterprise. While you’ve possible seen Beth Galetti’s word earlier this morning relating to the bigger modifications at Amazon which can be happening right now, I wished to dive a bit deeper with all of you, for the reason that strategic modifications we’re making in Games transcend what is going on company-wide.

Over the final a number of months, we’ve been evaluating our go-forward plans, particularly by way of the lens of our mission to ship the easiest gaming experiences to prospects whereas leaning into the issues that Amazon does greatest. We imagine that that is how we’ll have an effect with prospects that matches the dimensions of Amazon. Last week’s launch of the all-new Luna is a superb instance, because it leans into each streaming leisure and delivering worth for Prime members, two tenets which can be at all times prime of thoughts in our group. Luna launched with an important catalog of social social gathering video games and AAA blockbusters, and now we have much more to return from Jeff’s group on that entrance…it’s nonetheless Day 1.

We’ve additionally taken a essential take a look at the evolving dynamics of video games trade and aggressive panorama. While we’re pleased with our successes in first-party AAA sport growth and publishing, now we have made the troublesome choice to halt a major quantity of our first-party AAA sport growth work – particularly round MMOs – inside Amazon Game Studios, together with making important position reductions in our studios in Irvine and San Diego, in addition to our central publishing group.

While these modifications are important, we nonetheless have loads happening in sport growth. Our Montreal studio just lately concluded a profitable closed alpha of March of Giants and is working exhausting to complete the sport. Our Studio 5 group simply launched Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg because the launch title in Luna and can proceed their deal with extra informal and AI-focused video games, optimized for Luna. Finally, we’re persevering with to work with our exterior studio companions Crystal Dynamics on an upcoming Tomb Raider title and Maverick Games on an upcoming open world driving sport.

Over the course of the day, each Christoph and Jeff will attain out with extra particulars on how these modifications will have an effect on you and your groups. Most nations with impacted staff have been notified. Our different world hubs will comply with native processes and be notified at a later date.

There isn’t any getting round the truth that days like this are exhausting, and we can be dropping group members whose work and dedication have had an unbelievable influence on our prospects over time. We don’t make these selections flippantly, and but they’re essential for us to proceed to drive our enterprise ahead.

Please attain out on to your supervisor or to your HRBP with any particular questions.

Thank you,

Steve