As Microsoft and Sony PlayStation struggle to find out if obligations will be in joint custody or if Activision Blizzard King falls into the American fold, the video game industry continues to see some ambitious ones mature.
Owner of WeChat in particular and associated services, Tencent has become the world’s leading video game publisher by buying many small and renowned studios (Riot Games, Supercell, Sumo Digital, Timi, Funcom, etc.) and taking stocks. with the greatest. (Ubisoft, Epic Games, Paradox, Don’t Nod, Activision…). But Amazon also harbors some hope of getting it right by investing heavily in the video game industry.
In mid-December, the Seattle band even announced that they would be releasing the next installment in the franchise. tomb Raider after an agreement reached with the developer Crystal Dynamics. It will be a single-player, cross-platform narrative game set in the adventures of the Lara Croft universe and published by Amazon Games. A fine shot pulled off by a newcomer who ultimately isn’t.
A project that is being built serenely step by step
Because this appetite for video games is not new to Amazon. For several years now, the e-commerce giant has been building its project little by little, even patiently. The reflections began a little over six years ago before taking a new turn and getting a boost with the arrival of Christoph Hartmann in the summer of 2018 as Vice President of Amazon Games Studios (now Amazon Games), then President since March 2022.
It must be said that the man presented himself with quite a pedigree, having contributed to the launch Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K either bioshock at 2K Games, the game publisher he co-founded. He was called upon to develop the games, but also to create studios and put Amazon’s mark on the sector. “Both Amazon and Netflix find the video game industry very interesting, very innovative,” Roisin Doyle, Amazon’s global director of press relations, explains to Tech&Co when we talk about Amazon’s video game projects at the last Gamescom. “It’s a growing industry and we want to create as attractive a service as possible.”
Before that, Amazon lived in the middle of pixels, with little or too much inspiration from elsewhere. His first two games developed, Break away (in the spirit ofSupervision) Y Melting pot (inspired by real battles like Fortnite), were abandoned, even before actually seeing the light of day for the former, after a few months for the latter. Since then, the group has revised their copy and is firing on all cylinders.
In the first place, relying on Twitch, bought almost a billion dollars in 2014, to attract streamers very focused on living around the video game (bought on Amazon if possible). A first step on the long-awaited path. So Twitch Prime became first game in 2020, boosting free Prime membership with exclusive content in popular games (bonuses, packs, equipment, etc.) and free games for PC or smartphones to subscribers. The service is even associated with prestigious video game events such as the Game Awards or the Summer Game Fest.
Distilling its little white pebbles on the road to success, Amazon advances step by step. The American company has installed or bought four development studios (San Diego, Orange County/Irvine, Montreal and Relentless Studios in Seattle). Two PC games have increased in rating in recent years: The new Worlddesigned by Amazon Games Studios Orange County, and lost arka Smilegate game published by Amazon in Europe and the United States.
Two parts also of his activity now. “These are the two parts of our video game business,” says Roisin Doyle. “There’s our studios that create games and our publishing arm to identify and support independent studios to promote their work.” Thus, Amazon Games has already announced the agreement to distribute the next tomb Raider of Crystal Dynamics, but also Blue Protocol, a multiplayer action role-playing title from Bandai Namco and an all-new license from Disruptive Games (Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 Y Diablo II: Risen).
“We have had incredible success with The new World Y lost ark“, admits the head of Amazon Games. “These are MMOs in which we are successful, but in the coming years, we will also strive to diversify the styles of play to establish our reputation in the sector.” And to add mischievously: “2023 is going to be a good year, even a very good year. We will have many more announcements to make.”
2023, the year that everything will unfold for Amazon?
Because Amazon Games has great ambitions and is armed. The service also has a foothold in cloud gaming with its service. amazon moonlaunched to compete the missing future Google Stadia in the United States and will survive thanks to the power of AWS servers and better project preparation.
Amazon is weaving its website in this way to establish itself in all areas of video games. Without making too much noise. “We’re not strangers, but we’re a bit of a new player in the arena,” they tell us. “People met us through The new World Y lost ark. It will take a few more years and quite a few games to build our reputation. But it’s a big challenge that we set ourselves.”
It is probably not without reason that his name was whispered a few months ago as a potential buyer for Electronic Arts. The case is not closed either. A big fish that would later take its owner to another dimension and give a little more legitimacy to the general project that has only known one stumbling block in recent years, the cancellation of the adaptation of the game from the universe of Lord of the Rings in 2021, after a conflict with Tencent, the new owner of the studio in charge of development.
“It’s an exciting time for gaming. The next five years are going to be interesting,” predicts Roisin Doyle. “We cannot say more at the moment, but we have many things to come. We will talk about it in the summer and you will not be disappointed”. Appointment made to find out if Amazon has definitely entered the game or not.
Source: BFM TV
