Amazon is cutting “just over” 180 jobs in its games division and making some changes to its games initiatives, according to a memo sent to employees by VP of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann. The changes include shutting down its Crown channel that streams on Twitch, closing its Game Growth effort that helps game makers market their products, and “refocusing” the work it does with its free games offered through Prime Gaming.
“We take pride in the ongoing efforts of our teams, venturing into new territories with weekly content on Crown Channel and exploring additional avenues to assist publishers in reaching new audiences through Game Growth,” expressed Hartmann. “However, upon a deeper assessment of our businesses, it became evident that we need to concentrate our resources and efforts on delivering exceptional games to players both now and in the future.” Reuters initially reported on the memo earlier on Monday, and you can find the complete email, which Amazon graciously shared with The Verge, at the conclusion of this article.
Regarding the free games offered through Prime Gaming, accessible to Amazon Prime subscribers, Hartmann mentioned, “We’ve listened to our customers, and we know delivering free games every month is what they want most, so we are refining our Prime benefit to increase our focus there.” However, Amazon spokesperson Brittney Hefner chose not to disclose specific details about the nature of these changes. Amazon is cutting
These adjustments come in the wake of layoffs announced in April, impacting over 100 employees within Amazon’s games organization. The layoffs affected personnel in Prime Gaming, Game Growth, and the company’s San Diego studio. On a broader scale, Amazon has implemented workforce reductions, with thousands of jobs being cut throughout the course of this year.