Despite closing some efforts in Prime Gaming, the executive promised that the dynamic of giving away titles on a monthly basis will continue and, in fact, they will generate new initiatives to refine that service and increase its focus in that aspect.
Amazon’s interest in the video game industry is not accidental. In fact they have several initiatives in this field. It has a partnership with the Japanese developer, Bandai Namco, with which it will publish the MMO video game Blue Protocol, in addition to the new installment of the Tomb Raider franchise.
On the other hand, he is also the owner of the live streaming company, Twitch, which has been immersed in the middle of a spiral of ups and downs, since after the pandemic, its strongest period, it has had to renew itself to maintain the attention of people who turn to the platform to spend time with its creators.
In April, the company began laying off more than 100 people in the video game area, which affected various efforts, including Prime Gaming, as well as its own studio in San Diego, California.
“After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the growing areas with the greatest potential to drive our business,” Hartmann shared.
Throughout the year, Amazon has announced more than 27,000 layoffs. It all started in January, when the layoffs of 18,000 people were announced. In March it announced another 9,000 layoffs, which were extended until April and to which are added those on this occasion.
According to CEO Andy Jassy, the company has significantly increased its workforce in recent years, but economic uncertainty forced it to choose to cut costs and staff.
“Given the uncertain economy in which we reside and the uncertainty that exists in the near future, we have chosen to be more agile in our costs and workforce,” Jassy said in a statement published on the company’s website.