Companies like Amazon only got into video games for money. I know you can say that about the majority of developers and publishers, but there was something so diabolically transparent about the mega-company trying to capitalize on the medium's popularity.
Founded back in 2012, Amazon Games primarily cut its teeth on smaller mobile titles, such as To-Fu Fury, Sev Zero, and The Unmaking, before moving on to larger triple-A projects eager to emulate the success of blockbuster experiences from other studios. It had high hopes along with the abundant resources needed to replicate genres like MMORPGs, arena shooters, and dungeon crawlers. Amazon wanted its share of the gaming pie, but didn't seem to realize how to get it.
The Crucible, its burgeoning effort and distinct take on the hero shooter genre, was dead on arrival in 2020. Audiences were so lacking that developer Relentless Games brought it back into beta only to cancel the launch entirely. Millions of dollars and years of production were wasted on a title that didn't understand the market it was trying to break into.
New World followed a year later and was more successful, maintaining a dedicated following of players who stuck around as the game received both expansions and a larger brand. Titles such as Lost Ark, Throne and Liberty and King of Meat have appeared since then, some of which brought in massive numbers of players before slowly fading into obscurity. Few of these games have set the world on fire, which explains why Amazon Games has imploded in recent weeks.
What happened to Amazon Games?
Last month, Amazon cut 14,000 jobs across the company, which according to Bloomberg included “significant role reductions” within its gaming division. New World was completely shut down despite recently launching a critically acclaimed expansion and attracting a large number of new players, while the Lord of the Rings MMO was canceled outright.
New World's servers are confirmed to be online throughout 2026, but there will come a time when Amazon's most impressive video game project will cease to exist. While Amazon will continue with the publishing side of its gaming division and invest in Luna, resources will otherwise be shifted to focus on the continued development of AI rather than making big bets on a medium like video games. Or it will simply take generative shortcuts going forward instead of hiring human talent.
Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti expanded on this in a post on the official website:
“This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the internet, and it's enabling businesses to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and brand new ones). We believe we need to be organized more nimbly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and businesses.
Amazon is one of the biggest companies on the planet and entered the world of video games because it was convinced that there was money to be made in the already saturated markets. It sought to both create its own distinct experiences while licensing others from around the world that it could exploit for profit.
While some projects – like Crystal Dynamics' next Tomb Raider title – are still in production, it feels like years have been wasted only to leave everything behind. Games like New World are not seen as works of art worthy of protection, but products that have a shelf life that will inevitably outlive their usefulness.
New World could have changed Amazon gaming forever
I remember covering the game before release and being completely underwhelmed, but it's been heartening to see New World evolve over the years into something that both its developers and community can be proud of. Thousands of people logged in every day to enjoy this world and take their characters on grand adventures, while it seemed to have the support of Amazon to continue to grow with the release of new expansions and updates.
Aeternum saw it explode on consoles, and while it was far from the biggest game on the market, it maintained a stable audience that more than sustained its existence. But when it comes to a company like Amazon, just supporting yourself isn't enough.
Profits need to be as high as possible, and given that so many of its attempts to capitalize on video games have resulted in failure, perhaps it was willing to throw everything under the bus and quit. AI – at least at its current rate of progress – is a more lucrative market and one it has the resources to cynically take advantage of, so why should video games matter?
They don't, and much like Google or Meta before it, the medium has become a seedy footnote in its history, defined by a handful of projects that ultimately didn't make the profits they needed to exist. If Amazon actually understood how the industry worked and how to scale their video games to reach audiences and revenue, things might have been different.
The New World would not be shut down, and thousands of good people would not be unemployed. But here we are, and I don't know how it can get any better.
New world
3.5/5
- Released
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September 8, 2021
- ESRB
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E10+ for all 10+: Alcohol reference, Fantasy violence, Mild language, Suggestive themes
- Developer
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Amazon games
- Publisher
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Amazon games
