Amazon Hiring Devs For Its First PC Game 46
An anonymous reader writes: Several outlets are reporting that Amazon is preparing to dip its toes in yet another market: PC video games. They're specifically hiring for this purpose now, though they seem to have had plans for some time: "In addition to acquiring Killer Instinct developer Double Helix last year, Amazon has also hired notable developers like Kim Swift, designer of Portal, as well as Clint Hocking, who previously worked on franchises like Far Cry and Splinter Cell. Meanwhile, according to a report from Kotaku, Amazon has spent a lot of cash licensing the CryEngine, the same one used to make high-end PC games like Crysis 3. Outside of development, Amazon also acquired game streaming service Twitch last August for $970 million, and made gaming a big focus for its Fire TV media box."
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Yes. Yes you are.
Now go put your helmet back on and play in your room.
EA again? (Score:1)
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Their original series are good, why shouldn't a game be?
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Throw in a bit of resource management - moving your stash around to avoid the evil gold-gobbling monsters called Ayaress and Aransee.
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they dont have to create art, they have to create something that sells like reality tv and big mac's
art is not even a consideration
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Big business can't create it, but they CAN finance it, which is a necessary part of videogame development. And the financiers can be valuable partners in the process, so long as they're willing to mostly get out of the way and let the creative people do their thing. Microsoft, as one example, has been historically poor at this. Let's face it, everyone both wants to be and thinks they can be a game designer. Many videogames die a lingering death because of idiots from management sticking their fingers in
Bullshit (Score:2)
MS and Sony have both released a plethora of great Indie stuff on their platforms
The PC's renaissance is leading the pack mind - but I've never in my life had so many great and different games exposed to me as a have today.
Maybe "big business" can't create art - but it can certainly provide an environment in which it can flourish, and hand over a percenta
Yes! (Score:2)
Finally, the video game adaptation of Foodfight!
My prediction (Score:2)
It will suck big time.
Dear, SLASHDORT READER (Score:1)
I'm excited (Score:4, Insightful)
Amazon is not EA. Their attitudes are different and their profoilo is a pretty diversified at this point.
Will the game be any good? I have no idea. But I'm excited to see new money come into the market and try things.
Frankly, I like games more than I like movies or tv shows. My music collection hasn't changed much further in the last 10 years. I've hit that age.
And that means if you want to sell me content, you have to target me. And game... I likes them.
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harumph... First what is your problem with the way they treat their employees? That the warehouse employees aren't unionized? Is that it? Because most of the "they treat their employees badly" stuff these days is little more than poorly disguised agitation on the part of organized labor.
Second, I don't even know where you listen to new music anymore. I used to get new music off the radio or MTV or I'd pick something up in a CD shop that looked interesting. Today... I have no idea. what... spotify and pandor
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Wow, that hit a nerve huh? Let's see...
First, go google how they treat their office employees. Not the warehouse ones, the white collar jobs. They are very much like EA in the demands of hours and work, at the expense of 'life' (family, social, etc.)
Second, judge you? How was that judging? You yourself implied that the reason your music collection hasn't changed in years is because of the age you reached. I was saying that there is no such thing. There is no magical age you reach that you suddenly stop look
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Call someone something without any evidence and you're going to get called on it.
what kind of world do we live in where little shitheads like you think you can just do that?
You want to make an accusation against Amazon? Cite a link.
Let us see your evidence. Asking me to do your work for you is typical. Its just more of the same intellectually lazy bullshit.
As to judging, I cited the exact place where you did it. I can't be more clear than that.
As to reactions and over reactions... Specious bullshit deserves
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yawn... did you have a credible claim against amazon or just further proof that AC's shouldn't be able to post due to statistically low IQ?
I'm guessing free to play (Score:2)
Why do they want to be like Valve/Steam? (Score:3)
I get why Amazon wants to/has to make their own video content: People expect it these days and they have to compete with Netflix and HBO. But in gaming, there are already a ton of publishers and a ton more developers in all shapes and sizes and for all markets and kinds of games.
It is a great time to be a PC gamer. There's so much choice. If you don't think there is, try playing something new instead of the same old things.
Anyway, there are a lot of people making games. Some great, some good, some bad. What is Amazon going to bring to this that isn't already being done? It's not like the video service where they have to meet expectations, and it's not an unmet need since there already are tons of games.
Amazon is hiring some heavy hitters and spending A-level cash on game engines. This says they intend to bring out an epic franchise brand, which means they will have to spend a LOT on making it, and take years, and after all the work, maybe people won't want to play it. Most games end up like that, especially the big, grand, spendy grand attempts. Very few of those command lasting presence. So they're basically betting a lot on what will probably be ONE title and the odds are it won't be huge hit. Maybe a moderate hit. Why do this? Why take on that financial risk when there are plenty of existing companies and people who already do that?
Amazon already sells their games, and now they have Twitch to show them off too. Amazon doesn't need to make content in this space.
Command a warehouse robot (Score:2)
Due to the lack of sufficiently advanced image recognition software Amazon is going to employ gamers to identify shelf items.
Got some star power (Score:2)
Now its time to hire even more H1B's!
Re:Got some star power (Score:5, Interesting)
From what I've seen, there seem to be very few H1Bs in the videogame industry. It's also been surprisingly resilient to outsourcing as well. It could have something to do with both the high degree of technical specialization required, as well as the close coordination required with artists, game designers, sound designers, composers, and QA, meaning that videogame programmers have to be pretty good about working and communicating with non-technical developers / team members. A lot of software development is mostly about writing code, but creating a game requires a very diverse team to work very closely together and iterate quickly on new ideas and concepts.
I know one game development colleague who went to Amazon not too long ago. Maybe I'll meet up with him for lunch one of these days and see how he's enjoying things there. Amazon strikes me as a Microsoft-type developer, and that doesn't bode well for their first offering (for example, the first Kindle was hideously designed). They tend to get things right on their second or even third go-round though. I'll be curious to see what they can do... they certainly have the financial backing to do something quite impressive, but money alone won't make a great game. Just ask Curt Shilling.
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H1B has low representation in gaming because it is the one software-development labor market in which Americans are already worked harder than, and paid less than, H1Bs. Also, H1B holders are generally smart enough to take one look at the industry and bolt, unlike fresh-out-of-college American kids with gaming addictions.
Bezos is a control freak (Score:4, Insightful)
who used to dictate the placement of every pixel on Amazon website, according to Steve Yegge.
Fire smartphone had 3-D features that required immense processing power (which meant sacrificing battery life and other things) and therefore written off by the engineers as being not practical. But Bezos was in love with the features and he basically said the phone ships with 3-D or you're all fired.
I can't see the Amazon game ending well.
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what you mean with 3d features that require immense power?
opengl support and a gpu like any 100 bucks phone on the market now?
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The 3D feature was called "dynamic perspective". The heavy battery drain was not actually from the gpu processing/rendering, it was because the feature needed 4 separate cameras (one on each corner of the phone) that had its own access to the facial recognition software.
Interesting read: http://www.fastcompany.com/303... [fastcompany.com]
Really Amazon (Score:1)
Spend the dime and fix the Kindle for Android app first. Many people can't get it to work *at all*.
PC Games (Score:2)
Depends on the Focus.... (Score:2)
So what's the title? (Score:2)
My guess: Attack of the Drones.