Game Over? Amazon Resets Its Gaming Strategy, Powering Down Two Projects

Put down that controller and listen up, gamers! In the ever-twisting plot of Amazon’s game development saga, there’s been a strategy shuffle. Amazon is saying ‘GG’ to a couple of its gaming initiatives—Crown Channel and Game Growth—sending a memo around faster than a speedrun record. The bossman, Christoph Hartmann, says it’s game over for these projects and, sadly, a ‘just over’ 180-person guild is disbanding.

Amazon’s gaming quest has been more rollercoaster than rail shooter. They’ve been juggling a publisher role, internal studios, and even tossed in some freebies for Prime members. But even with all those lives, they’ve hit a wall and need to respawn.

Earlier this year, the gaming division took a hit, cutting more than 100 positions in April. Twitch, the streaming cousin, also had to let some of its players go. And last week, the music team lost a few band members too.

So, what’s the plan now? Hartmann’s putting all the coins into Prime Gaming’s piggy bank, hoping to level up with those free monthly games that have the subscribers high-scoring in happiness.

While this feels like watching your favorite Twitch streamer rage-quit, Hartmann’s still got his eyes on the prize. With titles like Throne and Liberty and Blue Protocol on the horizon, not to mention a fresh take on Tomb Raider and The Lord of the Rings, it’s not all doom and gloom.

So, here’s to the next round, where Amazon’s aiming to high-score in the big leagues of game development. And for those just clocking out, let’s hope there’s a new game+ on the way.