Amazon has faced notable difficulties when it comes to making games, with a new report from Bloomberg detailing its problems behind the scenes.
Amazon is arguably one of the largest companies in the world and one that apparently has control over everything from film and TV production to online retailing and more. However, the only area in which the mega-company appears to be having trouble penetrating is the games industry, with a new report detailing some of the behind-the-scenes problems that have affected its gaming division, Amazon Game Studios.
A new Bloomberg shed a little more light on Amazon Game Studios, specifically with regard to the numerous problematic projects that the studio has had difficulty launching over the years. As reported by Jason Schreier and Priya Anand, several factors have contributed in recent years to internal problems in their game projects, with more than 30 current and past employees sharing their experiences while working at Amazon Game Studios.
Why was Amazon unable to enter the video game market? Interviews with more than 30 current employees and former employees point to a root problem: the responsible guy had never played a game before. He would hire veteran developers … then he would ignore them.
New investigation with @Priyasideas: https://t.co/EXeZKF2Mzs
– Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 29, 2021
According BloombergAccording to the report, among the most glaring problems facing the company’s gaming division is its manager Mike Frazzini, a veteran at Amazon but with no previous game development experience. This lack of experience, in turn, tends to frustrate developers when Frazzini ignores or goes against their advice and decisions, leading many to leave the studio entirely.
The report also detailed that Amazon’s developing projects often suffered in focus and scale, with many teams trying to create projects that would rival established franchises and IP like Overwatch, League of Legendsand Fifteen days. In turn, Amazon Game Studios developers also struggled with the company’s internal development tools, called Lumberyard, which used to be slow and difficult to get around.
So far, Amazon has had more mistakes than hits when it comes to game development projects. Last year, the studio launched its Overwatchhero shooter style Crucible, only to withdraw the title promptly five months after its difficult launch. The studio is also working on its MMO called New world, although the project was delayed in its initial launch in 2020 for almost a year in the spring of 2021.