Amazon is downscaling its video game service Luna. Some changes are effective immediately, and others are coming in the next few months.
For starters, individual game purchases are no longer available on Amazon Luna. Any titles purchased directly from the platform will cease to work on June 10 of this year, effectively leaving the platform altogether. Users aren’t eligible for refunds.
In addition, Amazon is also removing access to external game stores and third-party subscriptions. This includes the EA, GOG, and Ubisoft stores. Subscriptions such as Jackbox Games and Ubisoft+ are also being discontinued.
Luna users will be eligible for a complimentary Luna Premium subscription as a “thank you” gesture for supporting the service, which soft-launched back in 2020.
As reported by Bloomberg in January, with the departure of Amazon Game Studios boss Cristoph Hartmann, the company is retreating from the PC and console video game space in favor of Luna.
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The news was shared after Amazon announced its latest round of job cuts in a message to employees, later posted on the Amazon website, which reportedly impacted around 16,000 roles across the company. This was after Amazon made approximately 14,000 people redundant within its corporate workforce, a decision that included staff in the video game division.
Since then, Amazon announced it would be shutting down its UGC dungeon brawler King of Meat after six months, and it also ditched an upcoming open-world driving game from UK studio Maverick Games.
“As part of our strategic evolution to focus on projects that leverage Amazon’s unique strengths and scale, including the recent re-launch of Luna and our Tomb Raider franchise partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we have decided to release Maverick Games from their publishing agreement with Amazon Game Studios,” read the statement at the time.
Meanwhile, Crystal Dynamics, which is owned by Embracer, laid off 20 employees last month, following four confirmed layoff rounds since 2023.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
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