Amazon’s gaming division faces another setback as a key executive departs following significant layoffs and the failure of a major MMO.

As Amazon continues to trim its workforce with an additional 16,000 layoffs following 14,000 cuts in October, Amazon Game Studios has reportedly seen the departure of its studio head, Christoph Hartmann.

Hartmann, who previously led 2K, is said to be leaving the company. He gained attention in 2024 when he controversially stated that games “don’t really have acting,” during a time when video game actors were striking for better protections against AI.

At that time, he expressed hope that AI could inspire new gameplay ideas without displacing jobs, emphasizing that the bulk of game development relies on programming rather than acting. “If it takes something, it will be really the boring parts,” he noted.

In response to the backlash, Amazon later clarified that they “regret the confusion” and acknowledged actors as “essential creative contributors.”

Amazon Game Studios has been distancing itself from game development, and Hartmann’s exit follows the delisting and end of service for New World, which was once a flagship title in the MMO genre.

The studio faced significant challenges during the October layoffs, with an internal memo indicating a halt to a “significant amount” of first-party MMO development. This shift comes as the company refocuses on its cloud streaming service, Luna, which recently relaunched alongside titles like Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg.

A former executive admitted that Amazon struggled to compete with Steam, stating that the company “needed to build something dramatically better,” but gamers had already found their solution in Valve’s platform.