Amazon Has Laid Off 180 Workers From Its Games Division

ign.com:

Technology and e-commerce giant Amazon has laid off 180 workers from its video game division.

First reported by Aftermath and independently confirmed by IGN, layoffs included Game Growth and the Crown Channel, an original program on Twitch that launched in 2020. Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartman addressed the layoffs in a memo to employees on Monday.

"It never feels good to say goodbye to colleagues. This isn't a decision the leadership team came to quickly; it was the result of extensive considerations and road mapping for our future," he wrote. "We are proud of the work the teams have been doing, pushing into new areas with weekly content on Crown Channel and finding more ways to help publishers reach new audiences with Game Growth. But after further evaluation of our businesses, it became clear that we need focus our resources and efforts to deliver great games to players now and in the future."

You can read the full memo below.

Hello everyone,

I have some important news to share with you all today about the future of our business.

As I’ve shared previously, our goal for Amazon Games is to become one of the leading creators of high-quality gaming content that delights players for years to come. Part of this bold vision involves experimentation as we explore what gamers want most and we regularly review these experiments to ensure we’re creating the most impact.

After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward. As such, the leadership team and I have made the difficult decision to close two of our initiatives – Crown Channel and Game Growth. We are also refocusing our efforts for