UPDATED 09:25 EDT / JUNE 08 2015

NEWS

Amazon’s “ambitious new PC game” is likely a third-person action game

In a series of recruitment ads on Gamasutra, Amazon Inc has stated that it is “building a team of top talent for an ambitious new PC game project using the latest technology,” and there is strong evidence that game will be a third-person, competitive melee action game.

The online retailer says that its Seattle-based PC game team already includes developers who had previously worked on critically acclaimed PC and console titles like BioshockWorld of WarcraftPortalHalf Life 2, Left for Dead, Dota 2, Halo, Infamous, Shadows of Mordor and The Last of Us.

Amazon first launched its own game development arm, Amazon Game Studios, back in 2012, and so far the studio has focused on creating mobile and tablet games like Til Morning’s Light and Tales from Deep Space. Many of the studio’s games have had limited success due to Amazon’s decision to make several of them Fire Phone or Fire Tablet exclusive.

While Amazon is new to the PC gaming space, the company does have a few advantages over some other studios. For example, it owns the popular livestreaming site, Twitch. Amazon’s ad also mentions that the game will take advantage of its AWS cloud platform, and the studio promises that the designers will use “technical innovation to radically evolve gameplay.”

Experience in “AAA third person action games”

Some of the positions currently listed for Amazon Game Studios’ Seattle office include technical artists, software engineers, UI/UX designers, character designers, and more. The studio is also hiring a community manager, with a preferred qualification that specifically mentions “experience with curating or creating content for Twitch.tv.”

So far Amazon has not specifically announced the type of PC game the studio will be producing, but the job descriptions for several of the positions at the Seattle office mention “AAA third person action games.” This makes the studio’s mentions of Shadows of Mordor and The Last of Us especially relevant.

The job description for the team’s senior combat designer also requires experience “designing and balancing combat, player controls, and AI for AAA third-person, competitive, melee action games.”

With Twitch’s heavy focus on esports and the industry’s increasing trend toward multiplayer titles, a competitive title seems an obvious choice for Amazon. Making the game third-person also gives the studio the opportunity to monetize on character skins.

Image credit: Amazon Inc

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