Bloomberg investigates Amazon’s internal battle to get its internal battle to get its gaming division off the ground
Amazon’s video game division is struggling to get off the ground, and a Bloomberg report indicates how much has been spent to make it happen.
Two sources familiar with Amazon’s budget told Bloomberg that the technology giant spends ‘almost $ 500 million a year’ on the video games division.
This number does not include Twitch, the streaming service Amazon purchased in 2014, or its cloud streaming service Amazon Luna.
Amazon has spawned a number of video game veterans since first launching its development industry, including portal designer Kim Swift and Far Cry 2 director Clint Hocking, none of whom are still with the company not.
The Bloomberg report outlines issues within Amazon, including lack of incentives, wrestling with its Lumberyard engine and an internal ‘bro culture’ where women are not offered the same opportunities as their male counterparts, according to interviews with more than 30 current and former employees of Amazon.
Amazon’s fight to launch a game includes the cancellation of a number of projects, including fantasy sports game Breakaway and recently the heroic shooter Crucible.
The MMORPG New World was delayed in 2020 and is currently scheduled to take effect this spring.