Mike Frazzini recently announced he would be stepping down from his role as the head of Amazon Games studio. According to Bloomberg, Frazzini is leaving his job to spend more time focusing on his family.
“Mike was there at the beginning of Amazon Games, and his leadership and perseverance helped build the games business from the ground up,” said Ryan Jones, an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement to Bloomberg. “Our recent successes with New World and Lost Ark are the result of the long-term, customer-focused vision for games he helped establish. We are very grateful for all his contributions, and wish Mike the very best.”
Mike Frazzini has been a staple at Amazon for the last 17 years. According to his LinkedIn page, he most recently served as the Vice President of Amazon Games from January 2015 up until last month before leaving his post.
The Profit‘s Take:
This is obviously not good news. Amazon Games studio has had a “checkered” history, so maybe he is just burned out. I wish him the best. I hope this was a mutually agreed upon departure. However, I think that new leadership was needed because of how bad Amazon fumbled New World after such a promising start. I think new blood will bring new ideas, approaches, etc. They have all the resources in the world to make good games. Let’s hope they do just that.
(All information was provided by Bloomberg, LinkedIn, and The Verge)
“leaving his job to spend more time focusing on his family” is often code for personal problems (mental or physical health, marriage, kids, etc.). Getting the boot is often coded with “leaving his job to pursue other interests.”