Amazon Game Studios ‘lays off dozens, cancels unannounced games’

Amazon Game Studios has reportedly laid off dozens of staff and cancelled some unannounced titles.

That’s according to one affected employee, who told Kotaku that those losing their jobs will be given a severance package should they fail to find another role at Amazon within 60 days.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the company was making an unspecified number of layoffs.

“Amazon Game Studios is reorganizing some of our teams to allow us to prioritize development of New World, Crucible, and new unannounced projects we’re excited to reveal in the future. These moves are the result of regular business planning cycles where we align resources to match evolving, long-range priorities,” they said.

“We’re working closely with all employees affected by these changes to assist them in finding new roles within Amazon. Amazon is deeply committed to games and continues to invest heavily in Amazon Game Studios, Twitch, Twitch Prime, AWS, our retail businesses, and other areas within Amazon.”

Amazon Game Studios announced its first three titles in September 2016. While sandbox MMO New World and third-person survival shooter Crucible are still in development, “mythological sport brawler” Breakaway was subsequently cancelled.

The company has teams in Seattle, Orange Country and San Diego, which are led by former 2K Games founder and president Christoph Hartmann, who joined as vice president of Amazon Game Studios in August 2018.