Amazon Video games Lays Off 180 Workers

One other day, one other spherical of online game business layoffs. This time Amazon is shedding roughly 180 workers from its gaming division, as confirmed in an inside e mail from Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Video games.

As reported by Aftermath on November 13, Amazon is letting go of round 180 workers in its video games division. Aftermath’s Nathan Grayson experiences that these layoffs embody all the employees of the Amazon-owned Twitch channel often known as Crown Channel. The positioning was capable of verify with Amazon that the layoffs have been taking place and acquired a replica of the e-mail despatched by Hartmann to firm workers.

Within the e mail from Hartmann, the Amazon exec defined that it’s listening to its clients and will likely be focusing extra of its sources on the free video games that Amazon Prime members obtain every month. Hartmann blames these modifications for in the present day’s layoffs.

“I do know that is tough information and that the influence will likely be felt extensively,” Hartmann mentioned.

“It by no means feels good to say goodbye to colleagues. This isn’t a choice the management workforce got here to shortly; it was the results of in depth concerns and highway mapping for our future.”

The exec defined that Amazon was “pleased with the work” performed by these workers, however added: “After additional analysis of our companies, it grew to become clear that we have to focus our sources and efforts to ship nice video games to gamers now and sooner or later.”

This newest spherical of layoffs hitting Amazon’s gaming division follows April layoffs that noticed over 100 workers from the identical division eradicated. And as anybody being attentive to the sport business in 2023 has seemingly seen, these mass layoffs have gotten a pattern.

Because the begin of 2023 Firaxis, Ubisoft, Unity, CD Projekt Pink, EA, Take-Two, Riot Video games, Meta and extra have laid off a whole lot of workers. The layoffs have turn into an nearly weekly prevalence throughout the business, resulting in builders pushing tougher for unionization to supply employees with extra rights and safety.