Amazon has big plans for gamedev. The giant’s game studios are ready to release a number of projects in the near future. The New York Times told more about them and about Amazon’s own cloud service.
According to media reports, Amazon is investing “hundreds of millions of dollars” in its gaming direction. This is the company’s largest investment in many years. In the near future, Amazon sees itself as a publisher and distributor of games for hardcore gamers (although it spends part of the funds developing casual titles).
What exactly will Amazon step into the industry with?
Streaming
According to the NYT, Amazon is preparing its gaming cloud platform — Project Tempo. The giant expected to present its early build already in 2020. But the coronavirus pandemic has adjusted plans, and now Project Tempo may not be revealed until 2021.
Nothing is still known about the future of the service. Recall that rumors about Amazon’s work on such a platform appeared in January last year. At that time, sources stated that the company was already signing contracts with game publishers to host their projects in its service.
Hardcore MMO and interactive casual games
Much more information is about future games from Amazon. The first of them was supposed to be released on March 31, but the company’s schedule was again affected by COVID-19.
As the media notes, Amazon’s games are built on its own Lumberyard engine.
1. Crucible is a team—based strategic shooter in a sci-fi setting. NYT reports that the game will have MOBA elements, like in League of Legends and Dota 2.
The game is handled by Relentless Studios in Seattle. Work on the project took six years, and, apparently, it is already ready. But they are going to release the game due to the pandemic only in May.
2. New World is a fantasy MMORPG that will throw players into an alternative XVII century. In the title, large-scale multiplayer battles are planned, for which Amazon uses the computing power of its cloud services.
This project is being developed by a studio in Irvine (California), created by Amazon after the purchase of Double Helix Games in 2014. She is also working on an MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings.
Also recall that in August 2018, Amazon hired Christoph Hartmann. Previously, he headed 2K Games, while at Amazon he became one of the vice presidents. He deals with both Crucible and New World.
3. Interactive casual games for Twitch. These projects will be launched in the summer, after the release of Crucible and New World. As the media explains, streamers will be able to play these titles simultaneously with the audience. Details later.
4. The project of John Smedley, former president of Sony Online Entertainment. Smedley joined Amazon three years ago and launched a studio in San Diego. What kind of game she is developing is unclear, and there is not even an approximate release date.
You can also recall Amazon’s purchase of the GameSparks gaming service and its implementation in Amazon Web Services. The deal was confirmed in 2018. The platform provides game developers with analytical and marketing tools, a multiplayer SDK, an IAP system and other features.
Also on the topic:
- Amazon to Launch Cloud Gaming ServiceThe former president of 2K Games has joined the Amazon game studio
- Is there any news?
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