Amazon Lets Go 100 Gaming Division Employees, Updates On Recent Efforts In Unit

Amazon.Com, Inc AMZN fired about 100 employees in its video-game divisions, affecting workers at Prime Gaming, Game Growth, and its San Diego studio.
Amazon proposed to earmark resources to support its focus on content, Bloomberg cites Games Vice President Christoph Hartmann's internal memo.
Amazon failed to capitalize on its resources in gaming, including through its Crown channel, an entertainment show on the Twitch streaming service, leading to the decision under its broader layoff plan.
Twitch recently downsized about 400 positions, canceled, and even removed titles from sale since the division kicked off in 2012.
Amazon has only released one internally developed game, the online role-playing title New World, which suffered a steep decline in its player base after the September 2021 launch. The New World team will continue to grow, Hartmann said.
Despite the layoffs, Hartmann said that employees working on an undisclosed project from the San Diego studio would "double down on the pre-production phase" of the game. Amazon's studio in Montreal, also working on an unannounced project, will continue to expand.
Amazon did see success with publishing the South Korean online role-playing game Lost Ark. Hartmann said the company would grow its third-party publishing efforts.
Price Action: AMZN shares traded lower by 0.13% at $103.81 in the premarket on the last check Wednesday.