Amazon Games loses VP following mass layoffs

Last year, Amazon made the decision to stop development on its MMO, New World, and wind back its game development practices through major cuts at its studios. Now, Amazon Games VP, Christoph Hartmann, is leaving the company behind. 

Following a wave of layoffs at Amazon Game Studios last year, Jason Schreier reports that the long-running Vice President has stepped down. Christoph Hartmann had previously been the head of 2K Games under Take-Two, before leaving to help Amazon ramp up its own game development and publishing business more than eight years ago.

While Amazon Games has operated for more than a decade, it has only managed to successfully ship one in-house developed game. New World had a strong start but failed to retain its momentum post-launch. Amazon has had a bit more success in publishing, having served as the publisher for Lost Ark in the west. Currently, Amazon is also expected to publish the next Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics.

Amazon underwent restructuring and cost-cutting efforts in October 2025, leading to more than 14,000 layoffs.

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KitGuru Says: Amazon Games has gone through a lot of change in recent months. At this point, it is unclear if they will make another game internally, or if they'll stick to publishing going forward. 

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