Mike Frazzini, a long-serving Amazon.com Inc. employee who was instrumental in the founding of Amazon Game Studios, is stepping down. According to Amazon spokesman Ryan Jones, the CEO informed his colleagues on Friday that he was leaving to spend more time with his family.
In a statement, Jones stated, “Mike was there from the outset of Amazon Games, and his leadership and perseverance helped create the games business from the ground up.”
What’s New?
“The recent success of New World and Lost Ark is a result of the long-term, customer-focused vision for games that he helped build.” We appreciate everything he’s done for us, and we wish Mike nothing but the best.”
Amazon Game Studios was a costly venture for the e-commerce behemoth, costing hundreds of millions of dollars per year but failing to produce hit games for years.
Frazzini, who had previously worked in Amazon’s books section, was a game newbie when he took over the division. Bloomberg reported last year that some employees had chastised him for deviating too far from the traditional game-making playbook.
What’s More?
The studio had a breakout smash this fall with the release of online PC game New World, after cancelling and even unrevealing projects at various stages of production.
Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy stated at a press conference shortly after the game’s release that gaming might become the company’s largest entertainment category.
“After many failures and defeats in gaming, we have a success,” former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos tweeted after New World’s positive reception. Never give up, no matter how difficult it becomes.”
Digging In More Details
Even New World’s early success faded after its release. According to Steamcharts, the game had 913,000 concurrent users in late September and presently has around 26,500.
One former Amazon Game Studios manager, who requested anonymity because they were not permitted to talk publicly, claimed that Frazzini’s leadership of the unit failed as a result of his lack of prior gaming knowledge.
Amazon has a habit of assuming that if you can thrive in one area, you can succeed in another, and employees in the unit thought he undervalued the medium’s intricacies. Frazzini did not respond to a request for comment right away.
