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Amazon Games Confirms Layoffs of About 180 Employees, a Refocus on Prime Gaming Benefit to Customers

SystemSystem Member UncommonPosts: 12,599
edited November 2023 in News & Features Discussion

imageAmazon Games Confirms Layoffs of About 180 Employees, a Refocus on Prime Gaming Benefit to Customers | MMORPG.com

Amazon Games has confirmed another round of layoffs, this time affecting around 180 people. This comes with a promise to refocus on Prime Gaming benefits for consumers, and at a time of many industry layoffs.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • NeoyoshiNeoyoshi Member RarePosts: 1,450
    edited November 2023
    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.

    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.
    NanfoodleMallyxKatagiri


    Fishing on Gilgamesh since 2013
    Fishing on Bronzebeard since 2005
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  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,875
    Neoyoshi said:
    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.

    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.
    My guess is the first rounds of AI games will not go over well. It will seem repetitive and also have AI saying things that will offend and cause backlash. Companies that rely to heavenly at the start of this new tech will regret it. MS has learned that lesson with sacking their reporters on msn.com. It's a mess. 
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    edited November 2023
    I think I've discovered the root cause of their financial losses... listening to their customers too much maybe.  ;)

    "We’ve listened to our customers and we know delivering free games every month is what they want most, so we are refining our Prime benefit to increase our focus there"
    NanfoodleMallyxharken33KrisConway

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,028
    Neoyoshi said:
    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.

    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.
    If you told me Breakaway and New World were developed by AI, I'd believe you.
    NanfoodleTyidalWargfootKrisConwaygastovski1
  • k61977k61977 Member EpicPosts: 1,523
    I want to know what customers have been telling them that the free games are what matters most. The free games they offer 99% of the time are games you can get free other places or cost under $5 because they are old or some random dev that created a cookie cutter game. It says a lot when they come out with straight up lies to try and cover that they just wanted to lay off people to save money.
  • Asm0deusAsm0deus Member EpicPosts: 4,600
    k61977 said:
    I want to know what customers have been telling them that the free games are what matters most. The free games they offer 99% of the time are games you can get free other places or cost under $5 because they are old or some random dev that created a cookie cutter game. It says a lot when they come out with straight up lies to try and cover that they just wanted to lay off people to save money.

    That's the thing...who the hell believes the garbage they spout?  It all malarky spinned into what they want it to sound like.

    For example:

    Gamers make a huge rant thread hundred of pages long that's going on for over a year and the company will spout how they got great feedback from their passionate playerbase all the while ignoring and doing exact opposite of what the player are asking for or want while patting themselves on the back for "listening to the payers"... lol


    Brenics ~ Just to point out I do believe Chris Roberts is going down as the man who cheated backers and took down crowdfunding for gaming.





  • DeskMonkey13DeskMonkey13 Member UncommonPosts: 162
    This is why the world is starting to realize the investors are the real devils behind the curtain. Just their existence causes this.
    Kyleran
  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 7,096
    edited November 2023
    Neoyoshi said:
    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.

    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.
    There is no AI, it's just all hype.  It's because Machine learning and Big Data isn't a nice enough catch phrase and sales pitch.
    It didn't gain the traction they wanted and now the Machine learning algorithms become a bit more advanced, some marketing guy thought it wise to now slap the word AI on it, to make it more sellable.

    How impressive ChatGPT might be and is, it's just a spiced up Google search engine.
    ChatGPT is what Google search should have been today, if Google wasn't so focused on advertisement sales and selling top spots in the Search results for money.


    Post edited by JeroKane on
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  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273

    Nanfoodle said:


    Neoyoshi said:

    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.




    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.


    My guess is the first rounds of AI games will not go over well. It will seem repetitive and also have AI saying things that will offend and cause backlash. Companies that rely to heavenly at the start of this new tech will regret it. MS has learned that lesson with sacking their reporters on msn.com. It's a mess. 



    As long as every word is vetted by a person I don't see any offence occurring. But boring, yes that is quite likely at first. At first.
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    More Prime Gaming Benefits...Yippee all is well. :)
  • harken33harken33 Member UncommonPosts: 286

    I don’t think Ai is quite there yet to start taking all the developer jobs. Once it happens there will be a Call of Duty every quarter or something. >:)


  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    edited November 2023
    MassiveOP published an update to their story on this yesterday, along with the full content of Scott Hartmann's letter to the employees. (Link to full article below)

    "INDUSTRYMMORPGNEWS
    Amazon Games is hit with another round of layoffs, but the MMORPGs are not affected

    [Updated below.]

    SOURCE: AFTERMATH
    UPDATE
    Two minutes after publication, Amazon confirmed to MassivelyOP that the MMORPGs were not affected. “Amazon Games’ primary business is developing games (including New World and several other games that are in active development, like our The Lord of the Rings game) and publishing externally developed games (Lost Ark and upcoming games like Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty),” an Amazon rep told us this evening. “The cuts made today are all in service of focusing efforts on making and publishing video games. Our studios and development teams were not impacted today...."

    https://massivelyop.com/2023/11/13/amazon-games-is-hit-with-another-round-of-layoffs-this-time-purging-180-jobs/


    WargfootValdemarJChildoftheShadows

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • JeroKaneJeroKane Member EpicPosts: 7,096
    edited November 2023
    Kyleran said:
    MassiveOP published an update to their story on this yesterday, along with the full content of Scott Hartmann's letter to the employees. (Link to full article below)

    "INDUSTRYMMORPGNEWS
    Amazon Games is hit with another round of layoffs, but the MMORPGs are not affected

    [Updated below.]

    SOURCE: AFTERMATH
    UPDATE
    Two minutes after publication, Amazon confirmed to MassivelyOP that the MMORPGs were not affected. “Amazon Games’ primary business is developing games (including New World and several other games that are in active development, like our The Lord of the Rings game) and publishing externally developed games (Lost Ark and upcoming games like Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty),” an Amazon rep told us this evening. “The cuts made today are all in service of focusing efforts on making and publishing video games. Our studios and development teams were not impacted today...."

    https://massivelyop.com/2023/11/13/amazon-games-is-hit-with-another-round-of-layoffs-this-time-purging-180-jobs/



    Ok cool. So it were basically 180 "imaginary" people that were fired today.

    As who else are those 180 people at a Gaming Company, focused on publishing and developing games?

    This got to be one of the most bogus non-answer corporate bullsh!it statements I have read in a good long while.
    Scot
  • KeladorKelador Member UncommonPosts: 129
    They should take a good look at Twitch.. It needs restructuring they can easily make staff cuts there.
  • AngrakhanAngrakhan Member EpicPosts: 1,750
    JeroKane said:
    Kyleran said:
    MassiveOP published an update to their story on this yesterday, along with the full content of Scott Hartmann's letter to the employees. (Link to full article below)

    "INDUSTRYMMORPGNEWS
    Amazon Games is hit with another round of layoffs, but the MMORPGs are not affected

    [Updated below.]

    SOURCE: AFTERMATH
    UPDATE
    Two minutes after publication, Amazon confirmed to MassivelyOP that the MMORPGs were not affected. “Amazon Games’ primary business is developing games (including New World and several other games that are in active development, like our The Lord of the Rings game) and publishing externally developed games (Lost Ark and upcoming games like Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty),” an Amazon rep told us this evening. “The cuts made today are all in service of focusing efforts on making and publishing video games. Our studios and development teams were not impacted today...."

    https://massivelyop.com/2023/11/13/amazon-games-is-hit-with-another-round-of-layoffs-this-time-purging-180-jobs/



    Ok cool. So it were basically 180 "imaginary" people that were fired today.

    As who else are those 180 people at a Gaming Company, focused on publishing and developing games?

    This got to be one of the most bogus non-answer corporate bullsh!it statements I have read in a good long while.
    They laid off 180 AI's. Very sad. I saw one under the bridge panhandling fart jokes for tips.
    JeroKaneharken33Kyleran
  • KatagiriKatagiri Member UncommonPosts: 89
    As a customer, I want stuff made by people, not machines.
    Wargfoot
  • angerbeaverangerbeaver Member UncommonPosts: 1,272
    I have had Prime for a while for the amazon shipping and Movies/Shows. I didn't even know there were games included
  • WargfootWargfoot Member EpicPosts: 1,406
    Do companies intentionally wait until the holiday season to lay people off or are they just unconsciously evil?
  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,875
    Wargfoot said:
    Do companies intentionally wait until the holiday season to lay people off or are they just unconsciously evil?
    Seems that way and maybe part of saving money. Dont need to pay stat holidays etc but the big part is just the inflation. As long as that keeps going up, we will keep seeing lay offs. Its just one of the ways corp business deals with inflation. 
  • achesomaachesoma Member RarePosts: 1,768

    Kelador said:

    They should take a good look at Twitch.. It needs restructuring they can easily make staff cuts there.



    That's literally what they did. The Crown Channel was an initiative to promote certain streamers.

    Preaching Pantheon to People at PAX PAX East 2018 Day 4 - YouTube
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    edited November 2023
    Nanfoodle said:
    Wargfoot said:
    Do companies intentionally wait until the holiday season to lay people off or are they just unconsciously evil?
    Seems that way and maybe part of saving money. Dont need to pay stat holidays etc but the big part is just the inflation. As long as that keeps going up, we will keep seeing lay offs. Its just one of the ways corp business deals with inflation. 
    I think it tends to happen after 3rd Quarter financials come in and Management realizes cuts need to be made in the 4th to try and salvage the year.

    By some arcane accounting rule employees who are Rif'd can be taken off the books even if they will be paid severance/ benefits into the new year.

    Since it is a bad look to let staff go during the holidays the firm I work at has a lay-off freeze for employees starting in Nov extending through end of January.

    Contractors of course have no such protections, though the firm seems to have stopped putting them all on unpaid leave the final two weeks of the year as was historically done.

    I think Mgmt finally realized the contractors were the only people left to keep the doors open, especially at years end.  :)

    Me, I'm OOO for the year after Dec 15th.




    Nanfoodleharken33

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • Rockinw311Rockinw311 Member UncommonPosts: 149

    Kelador said:

    They should take a good look at Twitch.. It needs restructuring they can easily make staff cuts there.



    Google twitch layoffs 2023. Most recent round was about a month ago
  • UNH0LYEV1LUNH0LYEV1L Member UncommonPosts: 572

    Neoyoshi said:

    Ah yes, who needs all these employees when AI can just do all the work.




    Nice excuse though, the whole refocusing on Prime gaming benefits. Yeah i don't buy that for a second; it's because of ChatGPT and other AI programs are there to take jobs away.



    I mean you are probably right, but its not like these folks were particularly good at their jobs. The games Amazon released fucking sucked.
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,273
    achesoma said:

    Kelador said:

    They should take a good look at Twitch.. It needs restructuring they can easily make staff cuts there.



    That's literally what they did. The Crown Channel was an initiative to promote certain streamers.

    Whenever you post I always worry about the guy in the picture, is he doing OK now with everything that has gone down. Silly I know.
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