John Smedley, former president of Sony Online Entertainment, Everquest co-creator (opens in new tab)will be stepping down from his role as head of Amazon Games’ San Diego studio. “After much thought, I decided it was time to try something new,” Smedley wrote. Emails to staff obtained by Bloomberg (opens in new tab).
Smedley was with Amazon Games for six years starting in 2017, during which time he did not ship any games. This isn’t all that uncommon for Amazon Games, which has had a tough time over the past decade, with games canceled, games like Crucible launched and canceled, and projects like the Lord of the Rings MMO abandoned. .
Led by studio head Mike Frazzini, part of the company’s early strategy was to hire developers like Kim Swift (Portal), Clint Hocking (Far Cry 2), and Smedley for big bucks. all these people, Including Frazzini (opens in new tab)has left Amazon Games.This doesn’t suggest that the publisher is in trouble – they’ve finally found success with New World and Lost Ark in recent years.Smedley there was his moment (opens in new tab)but Everquest is definitely of A basic MMO, this is the person you want to see more games from.
“John is a legend in the gaming industry and we appreciate his contributions to Amazon Games over the past six years,” Amazon told Bloomberg. The San Diego studio “remains focused on bringing unannounced projects to life,” and Smedley will remain in place during the transition.
The latest news from Amazon Games has an interesting aspect in this light. We plan to publish and co-develop the next Tomb Raider game (opens in new tab)Given the success Amazon has found with Lost Ark, and its lack of much of a track record with solo projects, it’s easy to see why this hybrid approach seems a more attractive strategy.
