Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, earlier this week surprised everyone by announcing that he will step down as the CEO of the Seattle-based giant later this year, and announced that Andy Jassy, current AWS chief, will succeed him as the CEO of Amazon. Now, a Bloomberg report claims that just a day before he was named the next CEO of Amazon, Jassy had reaffirmed his commitment to making video games. The report also said that Jassy had acknowledged the stark challenges his team has faced in making video games in an email.
“Some businesses take off in the first year, and others take many years. Though we haven’t consistently succeeded yet in AGS, I believe we will if we hang in there,” wrote Jassy.
Jassy expressed support for Amazon Game Studios head Mike Frazzini, and in examining the troubles the company has faced in gaming after Crucible.
The cloud gaming industry is in a state of tumult this week as Google has made the decision to wind down their first-party game studios, Stadia Games and Entertainment. Standing in contrast to Google’s decision, Amazon appears to be committed to crafting video games, and having Jassy now take on the role of CEO seems to solidify that. Amazon’s own cloud gaming offering, Luna, stands to benefit from any first-party games that Amazon Game Studios produces.
“Being successful right away is obviously less stressful, but when it takes longer, it’s often sweeter,” Jassy told Bloomberg in an email. He said that the team will get there if they stay focused.
Amazon Game Studio head Frazzini also comes with relatively less experience in gaming. He had never made a video game before being appointed the head of Amazon Game Studio. His lack of experience, according to the Bloomberg report, has been a frequent complaint from current and former employees.