Big companies still can’t buy know-how with money alone – Google learned that the hard way with Stadia, in case anyone needs a reminder.
After Amazon carried out mass layoffs in October that cost more than 14,000 people their jobs, the company has now confirmed another major round of cuts, this time affecting more than 16,000 employees. Reports indicate the reduction will hit Amazon Web Services, retail, Prime Video, and human resources, while it remains unclear whether Amazon Game Studios (AGS) will be swept up again. Still, Bloomberg reports that AGS chief Christoph Hartmann is leaving the company, even if the studio unit itself is not being named as a primary target in this wave. According to multiple reports, the broader push is also tied to Amazon leaning harder on AI-driven efficiency.
Jason Schreier, a Bloomberg editor, broke the news on Bluesky, framing it as another signal that Amazon is moving away from the strategy it once pushed – building and publishing PC and console games – and putting more weight behind cloud services such as Amazon Luna. Hartmann has not publicly confirmed his departure, though Schreier’s wording suggests he chose to leave amid restructuring rather than being pushed out. Hartmann joined AGS in 2018 and led the division throughout his tenure; before Amazon, he helped found and run 2K Games, making his original hire a clear message that the company wanted proven industry leadership as it tried to carve out a place in gaming.
Nearly eight years later, Amazon’s plan for making itself felt in games appears to be very different. In early October, before the latest layoffs were announced, the company also unveiled an update to Amazon Luna and described it in practice as a relaunch: building a collection of original, AI-powered games while also offering popular third-party titles such as Hogwarts Legacy and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. At the same time, the AGS picture has been further complicated by major pullbacks around its MMO ambitions, including the wind-down announcement for New World: Aeternum and the cancellation of the upcoming Lord of the Rings MMO.
Forrás: WCCFTech, Reuters, Bsky
