Amazon Game Studios Boss Stepped Down and Joined Book Division
Amazon Game Studios’ head honcho has decided to step down. According to multiple reports, Mike Frazzini is leaving the development division he helped create so he could focus on his family.
“Mike was there at the beginning of Amazon Games,” AGS said in a statement. “His leadership and perseverance helped build the games business from the ground up.”
Apparently, the former Amazon Game Studios exec received a lot of flak for his lack of experience in spearheading a game studio. According to an insider, Frazzini’s leadership suffered because he did not have any prior experience in the gaming industry. Frazzini has now transferred tot he company’s book division.
“Amazon is a company that often assumes that if you can succeed in one category, you can succeed in another,” the insider reportedly said.
During Frazzini’s tenure as Amazon Game Studios’ boss, the company’s games business struggled to come up with a breakout hit. This was deemed unfortunate, especially considering that hundreds of millions have been invested into development.
Their team-based shooter Crucible officially ended in October 2020, only five months after release. Apparently, the game had trouble attracting a significant player base. Amazon Game Studios also cancelled a Lord of the Rings MMO due to a dispute with Tencent. They finally found success late last year since New World attracted Steam’s fifth highest concurrent players figure at the time of launch.
“After many failures and setbacks in gaming, we have a success,” said former Amazon boss Jeff Bezos. “Do not give up no matter how hard it gets.”
Despite all these struggles, AGS had nothing but praise for Frazzini. “Our recent success with New World and Lost Ark are the result of the long-term, customer-focused vision for games he helped establish,” they wrote. “We are very grateful for all his contributions and wish Mike the very best.”
Do you think Mike Frazzini made the right decision? Let us know in the comments below.