Amazon has cut “just over” 180 jobs at its gaming division, the company confirmed in an internal memo.
As shared by Reuters, Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games, said the company “needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward.”
Amazon didn’t clarify where the layoffs have occurred. Amazon Games has a studio in Montreal led by former Rainbow Six: Siege developers, although it’s unclear whether it’s been affected. Back in April, Amazon cut around 100 jobs in its gaming division while also promising to continue to grow its Montreal location.
As part of this restructuring, Amazon will shut down its Crown Twitch channel (on which gaming-related celebrities provide variety show-style entertainment) and Game Growth (which helps game makers promote their work) while “refocusing” efforts on offering free games through Prime Gaming.
Amazon will also continue to support an open-world The Lord of the Rings MMORPG and the next Tomb Raider game from veteran Lara Croft developer Crystal Dynamics, among other titles.
The Amazon layoffs are the latest in an expansive and ever-growing list of gaming industry job cuts this year. Over the past several months, over 6,000 people have been laid off, including those at PlayStation (Bungie and Naughty Dog), Xbox (343 Industries and Vancouver’s The Coalition), Epic Games (Fortnite) and EA (BioWare Edmonton).
Amazon, meanwhile, has cut more than 27,000 roles company-wide over the past year.
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