Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann has sent a memo to employees stating that the video games division of Amazon has recently let go of approximately 100 employees as part of a reorganization process. The laid-off employees are said to be from Amazon's San Diego gaming studio and Prime Gaming, which caters to members of the company's main loyalty program.
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The memo from Hartmann mentioned that some employees affected by the recent reorganization have been reassigned to other projects that align with Amazon's strategic objectives. Hartmann acknowledged that sharing this type of news is never easy and pledged to treat affected employees with empathy and respect. Additionally, he said that the company would provide severance money, health insurance advantages, outplacement services, and compensated time to do job searches.
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Hartmann explained that after assessing their current projects to their long-term objectives, the Games leadership team decided to cut more than 100 positions across Prime Gaming, Game Growth, and their San Diego studio. However, some employees will be reassigned to other projects that align with the company's strategic goals. Hartmann stated that affected employees would have a one-on-one meeting to discuss these changes and ask any questions they may have.
Despite having released multiple projects, Amazon's video games division has yet to produce a successful title, resulting in the cancellation of their first high-budget game, Crucible, just a few months after its release.
Hartmann emphasized the company's commitment to investing in their internal development efforts and expanding their publishing efforts. He explained that Amazon's games division would focus its resources on content and continue to invest in internal development as the progress of their projects. Hartmann further mentioned that the teams would continue to grow to support their focus on content.
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He also expressed confidence in the direction of the company's games division. He commended the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the employees and stated that Amazon Games has gained momentum over the past few years.