Amazon gears up to produce "ambitious new PC game".

[HEXUS]

Has hired a team of former Portal, World of Warcraft and BioShock creators.

Read more.

[Chadders87]

This can either be really good similar to how Amazon has done "own video" content, or they can design a "Kindle" console with prominent advertising and also lock down Amazon devices to only play Amazon Ownware.

Personally I think the prior more likely. If they let games be created by the designers rather than forcing them in a certain direction for profit they might actually make some good games.

[AlexKitch]

The name "Amazon Game Studios" is dreadful. I hope they consider changing that.

[ZaO]

So it's gonna be a shooter on CryEngine, right? I'm sure I read something about them buying, or buying the rights to use CryEngine not long ago.. I won't judge until I see it, I guess..

[Saracen]

Is anyone excited to hear about Amazon's new vision and 'ambitious' plans to develop PC games?

Not especially. It's way too soon.

I guess I agree with the above comments, firstly from Zao that it's hard to judge until we see it. Gaming history is littered with the corpses of so-so games that were massively hyped, and dramatically under-delivered. Some never even delivered at all. On the other hand, if (repeat IF) Amazon resource this seriously, it could amount to something truly impressive.

But Chadders makes good points - it depends what this is about, for Amazon. Personally, I very much like Kindle hardware, but much about the content platform sucks. So a lot depends not just on game graphics, or even gameplay, but on the platform implications.

And for all those reasons, it's way too soon.

[crossy]

Is anyone excited to hear about Amazon's new vision and 'ambitious' plans to develop PC games?

Not really - firstly it's not exactly if there's a shortage of publishers etc out there and the market is such that even some darn good teams have been "workforce managed" and been shut down. And actually I'm getting quite concerned by Amazon's "product creep" - it seems like there's few legal areas of commerce where they don't have ambitions - what next Amazon Sports Agent, Amazon International Arms, etc. I've actually been trying to find alternatives and avoid using them, but the extra costs are usually appreciable, and I'm not principled enough to want to pay £4-5 extra for a CD.

Secondly, I can't see the plus point for Amazon themselves. A title that's only available via Amazon is an obvious selling point, but how to leverage that into a continuing revenue stream? Obvious answers are:
a. Game will be crippleware, function-limited until you slap on some "optional" DLC;
b. It'll be linked into a (so far unannounced) Amazon gaming subscription service - and any multiplayer will need access to that service;
c. Ad-ware, the "for faster game playing, why not buy the 'Ultra Shooty TripleX MegaBlast game stick ... currently on special offer, with free next day delivery, click here for details" after every level.

Meh!

[Saracen]

....

b. It'll be linked into a (so far unannounced) Amazon gaming subscription service - and any multiplayer will need access to that service;
....

Like a "benefit" of Prime 'Gold'

[spacein_vader]

Like a "benefit" of Prime 'Gold'

Could be, obviously it'll be used to attract people to their storefront one way or another.

It'd be a shame if they wrap it in some sort of Prime or pull a Half Life 2 and tie it to their own equivalent of Steam. Especially as up until now their game downloads have been second only to GOG in terms of lack of meddling. You buy a game, use a small downloader (similar to GOGs,) and they don't add any DRM.* maybe a move to a Steam like client is why they haven't rolled this method out in other territories yet.

*That is not to say the games are DRM free. They will contain any (or none,) DRM the publisher themselves requires but Amazon themselves do not add any.

[evs]

Hopefully 'ambitious' doesnt just mean 'yet another war shooter'

[Spiralking]

The should make WoW2 and be minted... avoiding all the crap that is trending (like micro payments and monetizing the wrong areas) - So pretty much approaching from a gamers POV rather than a bunch of stat based accountants.

[sameloop]

They could create a game set in a frightening dystopian future, where virtual slaves are trapped in a huge complex, performing menial tasks for almost no financial recompense, whilst their cruel overlords profit from their daily misery. And pay virtually no taxes in the UK.