Amazon is always trying to diversify. Now when I saw that Amazon was planning on making a game I assumed that it would have something to do with their Fire series. They have been quietly developing several games for the medium over the past year. And they have had some success in their endeavours; Lost Within topped Apple’s top game charts, but this success seems to have only come after branching away from the Fire devices. It’s popularity came when it was on iOS. So, it seems as though Amazon is once again attempting to branch out; Gamasutra reported that Amazon Game Studios’ job section has been flooded by a host of available positions to work on a PC/Windows title.
Amazon Game Studios may be attempting to reach a wider market with their titles, all of their prior games have existed with a strong focus within the Amazon product bubble. This has its pros and cons. Their reliance on Amazon’s vast array of products has allowed them to do what a team of developers couldn’t alone. Til Morning’s Light can motion track your head, because of the Fire phone; The Unmaking’s scale could not have been achieved with out partnering with other affiliates. But, these innovations isolate their products to Amazon device users. They may have decided that to get their name out there, they will need to release to as many people as possible. Remaining solely on Amazon products is great, but the current tablet type games probably aren’t doing enough to win over dedicated gamers.
Without a team fully assembled to make the game there is at the moment nothing known about the title. Although, Amazon’s website has this to say, “Twitch, Amazon Web Services, digital and physical media publishing… imagine being able to invent within this sandbox of Amazon assets to create awe-inspiring games for players, broadcasters and viewers; and game technology for developers. That’s what we are doing.” Whatever it is that they have plans for, they’re hoping to innovate and experiment with Amazon’s products to create something that no-one else can. With a team currently made up of veterans from the Halo, Forza, Half Life 2, and The Last of Us teams it may be something worth keeping tabs on.