Amazon Games Facing Significant Layoffs

Amazon Games will be significantly impacted by a large layoff affecting over 14,000 corporate employees at Amazon. The cuts are part of a company-wide effort to simplify operations and reduce bureaucracy. While the exact number of Amazon Games employees affected is unclear, the layoffs will impact teams in San Diego and Irvine, where the game New World: Aeternum is developed.

Recent layoffs at Amazon will likely impact Amazon Games and its ability to develop large-scale games. This includes titles like New World: Aeternum, which at one point had over 913,000 players on Steam. Development of New World: Aeternum, which just released the Nighthaven update, mainly happens at the company’s Irvine location. Amazon Games also publishes other popular online games, such as Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty, for players in North America and Europe.

Amazon To Cut Over 14,000 Jobs

Amazon Games is facing layoffs as part of a larger company restructuring at Amazon, which will cut over 14,000 jobs starting October 28th. This is happening as Amazon looks to use artificial intelligence more widely. While the exact number of affected employees at Amazon Games isn’t known, studios in San Diego and Irvine will be significantly impacted. These cuts will also affect the development of New World: Aeternum, and Amazon will scale back its work on large, high-budget (AAA) games, including massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The central publishing team at Amazon Games will also be reduced.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon reduced its workforce by over 27,000 employees in 2022 and 2023 to lower costs. Microsoft also underwent significant layoffs, releasing over 9,000 employees, which was more than half the number Amazon cut. These cuts at Microsoft particularly affected its gaming divisions, leading to the cancellation of projects such as Perfect Dark and Everwild.

Recent technical problems with Amazon Web Services, combined with planned staff reductions, will likely affect businesses that depend on Amazon’s services. The full extent of the cuts at Amazon Games is still unknown.

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2025-10-28 20:35