Amazon Game Studios VP Christoph Hartmann leaves as studio pivots from AAA

Christoph Hartmann, a vice president at Amazon Game Studios, is leaving the company, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.

Hartmann co-founded 2K Games and served as that publisher’s president until he left in 2017. He joined Amazon in 2018 to lead a range of studios working on titles including the MMO New World, which is now set to go offline in January 2027. When he joined, Hartmann said, “Gaming, today’s favorite form of entertainment in the world, is connecting hundreds of millions of people.”

Amazon was unable to turn its broad assets into a lasting hit, and some projects were canceled: a 2020 hero shooter by Relentless Studios called Crucible was effectively “unreleased” and later canceled. Last fall the company signaled a shift away from AAA development amid massive cuts.

The company still has not confirmed the status of a previously announced Lord of the Rings MMO, and one developer said that team was laid off. Amazon also remains slated to publish upcoming Tomb Raider games, including this year’s reboot of the original, and appears increasingly focused on its cloud gaming service Luna and lighter party-style games such as a courtroom comedy featuring an AI Snoop Dogg.

Hartmann and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it remains unclear what his departure will mean for the studio’s remaining projects and unconfirmed efforts like the Lord of the Rings MMO.

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