Amazon’s Game Strategy: Featuring James Bond and AI-Driven Snoop Dogg

Amazon’s gaming strategy has often felt a bit unclear, but the company has been quite active in the gaming realm. It has made significant moves, such as acquiring Twitch, launching the Luna cloud gaming service nearly six years ago, and investing heavily in MMOs during the height of the live-service trend. With access to a vast array of franchises through Prime Video and the MGM Studios library, Amazon has a lot to work with. Recently, the company announced a major shift, relaunching Luna with a focus on party games that can be played using just a phone as a controller, including an AI-driven game featuring Snoop Dogg as a judge, while stepping back from its MMO ambitions.

Initially, this shift seemed like a retreat, but Amazon insists that’s not the case. Jeff Gattis, the GM of Amazon Games, emphasizes that the reality is quite the opposite, although they haven’t communicated this clearly. While the company claims to have a more focused strategy, its gaming initiatives are still spread across various areas.

A part of this renewed focus stems from a structural change, as Amazon now believes it has a simpler approach. Gattis explains, “Luna is our gaming platform, Amazon Game Studios is our development and publishing platform.” He notes that this structure is somewhat similar to Xbox’s setup, which has distinct divisions for its platform and game studios. With Amazon’s push for cloud-streamed party games playable on mobile devices, Gattis acknowledges parallels to Netflix’s evolving strategy. Previously, Amazon targeted “core” gamers, but Gattis recognizes that this segment is well-served by platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. While not abandoning this audience, Amazon sees a chance to attract a more casual player base.

Gattis joined Amazon in March 2025 after a long tenure at Xbox, drawn by the potential he saw. “I refuse to believe that Amazon, as one of the largest consumer entertainment companies globally, can’t break into the top revenue segment of consumer entertainment,” he states. Since his arrival, Amazon has merged its three separate gaming divisions—Prime Gaming, Amazon Game Studios, and Luna—into a single organization. “None of these groups were collaborating,” Gattis notes.

For Luna, a select group of games is included with an Amazon Prime subscription, including its GameNite party games, while a $9.99 monthly fee grants access to Luna Premium, which offers a broader selection. Amazon Game Studios is currently working on notable titles like the remake Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and a new entry, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, both set to launch in 2027. Additionally, Amazon is producing a live-action Tomb Raider series for Prime Video, featuring Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.

Amazon’s strategy of integrating Tomb Raider across various platforms, including several titles available on Luna, highlights its vision for the future. Gattis believes that the lines between TV and video games are increasingly blurring, suggesting that every major IP will need a video game component as part of its market strategy. He also points to Amazon’s partnerships with sports leagues like the NBA and NFL, indicating potential for various “companion-type games.”

With Amazon now holding creative control over the James Bond franchise, it seems poised to develop more games around this iconic series, especially following the success of IO Interactive’s recently released 007 First Light. Although IO Interactive self-published First Light due to a prior agreement, Amazon has a stake in the game and is in discussions with IO about its potential availability on Luna.

“That is exhibit A of going to Prime Video, watching the Bond films, playing the video game, and purchasing merchandise on Amazon.com,” Gattis explains. Amazon holds the rights to all future Bond titles, and he anticipates that the next Bond game will be published by Amazon Game Studios. While he hasn’t confirmed whether IO will develop any sequels, he mentions that they will soon start exploring what the next Bond game will entail, including the right developer and storyline.

Currently, Amazon has 10 to 15 games in development, with Gattis estimating that around 33 to 40 percent are AAA titles. However, these high-budget games aren’t essential for the new audience Amazon aims to attract with its Luna offerings. The Snoop Dogg game was developed in under a year, and Amazon is enthusiastic about using generative AI, not only for AI-driven games like the Snoop Dogg title but also to enhance the overall development process. “To be clear, these are human-made games, but we’re using AI as tools,” he clarifies. “We haven’t reduced our workforce because of AI; we’re leveraging it to accelerate and diversify our game development.”

While scale doesn’t guarantee success—just look at Netflix’s struggles in the gaming space—Amazon appears more focused than ever, though it continues to experiment with various ideas to see what resonates. Gattis remains optimistic about Amazon’s direction in gaming. “Don’t sleep on Amazon in this space.”