Amazon Lays Off More Than 14,000, Including ‘Significant Role Reductions’ Across Its Gaming Division

Mega-corporation Amazon is laying off more than 14,000 people across its various divisions, including “significant role reductions” across its gaming divisions, which have created games like New World, Lost Ark, and more, according to a Bloomberg report. These reductions arrive as Amazon aims to reduce its video game output in the MMO space, and as the company further embraces AI, which it calls a “transformative technology” for its business. 

“The reductions we’re sharing today are a continuation of this work to get even stronger by further reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we’re investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs,” Amazon senior vice president of people experience and technology Beth Galetti writes in a letter shared to employees. “While this will include reducing in some areas and hiring in others, it will mean an overall reduction in our corporate workforce of approximately 14,000 roles.”

Later in Galetti’s letter, she writes AI has been “the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the internet” and that Amazon is “convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business.” 

At the time of this writing, it’s not clear which game studios underneath Amazon’s umbrella have been hit by these layoffs or to what extent, but the hearts of Game Informer go out to everyone affected. 

[Source: Bloomberg]