Posted in: Amazon Game Studios, Games, Video Games | Tagged: amazon, Amazon Games, Amazon Games Montreal

Amazon Games Has Opened A New Montréal-Based Studio

Published Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:40:29 -0500

Amazon Games announced that they have opened up a new studio, this time setting up shop in Montréal with some industry vets. The company made the reveal this morning in a press release, in which they revealed they will be making AAA titles and are currently hiring for a number of positions. What's more, the studio has snagged several key players who used to work for Ubisoft as part of the Rainbow Six Siege team to lead the studio, as their first game will be a multiplayer title. While it is interesting to see a new studio develop, we are looking at it with a bit of caution as Amazon's studios have yet to make an impactful AAA title that people are talking about for months.

So far their major games have been Crucible, which had a lackluster launch and was panned heavily by critics before they killed the game, and New World, which has been continually pushed back and doesn't have a release date for 2021 yet. Just two years ago during E3, the company laid off several employees and canceled three games, including the much-talked-about game Breakaway. So while it's cool to see they've opened a new studio in Canada and are working on a new IP, we're a bit hesitant to get excited about it yet as the company doesn't have the greatest track record of following through at the moment. You can read a snippet of the press release below.

A look at the Amazon Games Montréal logo.

"Montreal's rich vein of creative talent will be a valuable asset as we continue building our development and publishing teams," said Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Games. "The highly skilled and experienced team at our new Montreal studio shares our commitment to creating best-in-class online games, and brings with them a wealth of knowledge and passion for building deep, community-focused multiplayer experiences. I look forward to watching them invent on behalf of customers as they grow their team and develop their first project."

The studio's founding members include industry veterans Luc Bouchard (head of production), Xavier Marquis (creative director), Alexandre Remy (head of product), and Romain Rimokh (content director), who most recently worked as the core team behind the tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege, which now has more than 70 million players since its launch. The studio's first project will be an online multiplayer title based on new IP.

"Building upon 8 years of experience with Siege, we are excited to start with a blank page and the creative freedom to create a completely unique experience in the multiplayer space," said Xavier Marquis, Creative Director.