After six years the head of Amazon Games San Diego, John Smedley is leaving the company. Smedley has been behind several projects during his time at Amazon Games, none of which have been released.
Smedley started a development company in the early 90s, before moving on to Sony. In 1996, John Smedley was put in charge of Sony Interactive Studios America's development of an online role-playing video game. The studio would change its name to 989 Studios, and the game would eventually become the MMORPG EverQuest, published by Sony Online Entertainment. Smedley stayed with Sony Online Entertainment until 2015, during which time the studio produced dozens of games, including Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online, and DC Universe Online which is still being updated. The studio had once more changed its name due to being sold to an investment group, shortly after Smedley left.
Now, after six years at Amazon Games San Diego, Smedley is moving on once again. According to Bloomberg, Smedley told staff members in an email “after a lot of thought, I’ve decided it’s time for me to try my hand at something new.” Even with this from Smedley, it is not fully known why he is leaving the studio, however it is worth noting that during his time as head of the branch, none of the games worked on in Amazon Games San Diego have been released. His departure also comes after several layoffs at Amazon Games, and the departure of studio head Mike Frazzini.
Smedley’s time after Sony has been somewhat rocky, as he originally went on to start up his own game development company, Pixelmage Games, and along with it a game called Hero's Song. In January 2017, Pixelmage announced their closure of the studio, and with it Hero’s Song was canceled. Other Amazon Games branches have had more luck with titles such as the Amazon Games Orange County developed New World. Additionally, Amazon games is the global publisher for Korean MMOARPG Lost Ark, which within 24 hours of its release became the second-most played game on Steam, behind the ever popular CS:GO, and is set to receive a crossover event with The Witcher.
With five studios under the Amazon Games umbrella, several failed projects, and rumors of Amazon releasing a Steam competitor known as Vapor, it seems as though there is a lot to manage. So losing key figures means the future for the studio seems somewhat uncertain. While the studio is able to receive near-endless funding from its parent Amazon, and has had success with Lost Ark, Amazon Games has not had much luck in its ten-year lifespan.