Amazon Game Studios
| Founded | 2014 |
|---|---|
Key people | Mike Frazzini (VP)[1] |
| Owner | Amazon.com |
Amazon Game Studios is a video game developer and publisher within Amazon.com.
History
Amazon first announced that it would create computer games in 2014.[2] Amazon recruited Kim Swift (Portal) and developers who previously worked Far Cry 2 and System Shock 2. Amazon sought to make games in-between the industry standards of small and large teams making casual and AAA games, respectively. Amazon Game Studios wanted to make teams of five to thirty people who would work on games for between a year and 18 months with a focus on "creativity" and "craftsmanship", whether the genre is for kids or hardcore gamers. Studio vice-president Mike Frazzini wanted to make projects like Minecraft, The Walking Dead, and The Room. The studio also wanted developers to impact the direction of their hardware, between its cloud services and Amazon-brand devices. For example, developers can offload processing to Amazon's cloud services and the Amazon Fire TV has expanded memory as a result of developer feedback.[3] Some of the company's developers left within a year of the company's founding. Amazon Game Studios went on to publish a number of mobile titles, including the horror game Lost Within.[4]
Two years after the studio's initial announcement, at the September 2016 TwitchCon, the studio revealed its first three PC games: Breakaway, Crucible, and New World.[2][5] Breakaway is a team-based brawler in which two teams of four fight to deliver a ball to their opponents' goal. It is designed for tight integration into Twitch, the streaming service Amazon acquired in 2014.[2] Crucible is a 12-player, class-based game in which players form alliances to become the last man standing. An additional player will direct the game, letting viewers interact with the game's elements and triggering in-game events.[5] New World is a massively multiplayer sandbox game with a supernatural colonial America theme. Players can form settlements, fight each other, or fight monsters out in the world.[5] The three games have no set release date.[6]
The company has offices in San Diego,[7] Seattle,[8] and Orange County.[9][10][11]
References
- ↑ "Amazon bets big on gaming with high-profile hires". March 9, 2017.
- 1 2 3 Furniss, Zack (October 2, 2016). "Is Breakaway Appealing To More Than Streamers?". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Lien, Tracey (April 7, 2014). "How Amazon Game Studios convinced developers to join its team". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Makuch, Eddie. "Amazon's Gaming Division Loses Three Key Figures". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- 1 2 3 O'Connor, Alice (September 30, 2016). "Amazon Game Studios Announce Three Games". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on December 17, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Williams, Mike. "Amazon Game Studios Bet on Twitch For First Three Games". USgamer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Amazon hires John Smedley to lead new San Diego studio".
- ↑ "Louis Castle joins Amazon to head Crucible team". Polygon. March 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Amazon Game Studios unveils three PC games – Breakaway, Crucible, New World".
- ↑ "Amazon opens new game studio led by EverQuest creator John Smedley". Polygon. February 15, 2017.
- ↑ "The curious case of Amazon’s deep plunge into the esports industry". March 12, 2017.