Jobs in the games division are eliminated by Amazon as part of a larger reorganization

 Jobs in the games division are eliminated by Amazon as part of a larger reorganization

Vice President of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann said in an email on November 13 that "after our initial restructuring in April, it became unambiguous that we needed to focus our resources more heavily on the areas that are growing with the greatest likelihood to drive our business forward."

An email seen by Reuters on Monday revealed that Amazon.com has eliminated some 180 positions in its games sector, marking at least the second wave of layoffs in less than a week by the online retailer and digital streaming service as part of a larger restructure.

Vice President of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann said in an email on November 13 that "after our initial restructuring in April, it became abundantly clear that we needed to focus on our assets even more on the areas that are growing with the greatest likelihood to drive our business forward."

In the second round of cuts to the division this year, the business started notifying staff members on Monday morning that their positions had been terminated.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Amazon started laying off employees in its podcast and streaming music business last week. The sources also said that it eliminated a relatively limited number of positions in its People Experience and Technology, or PXT, human resources division.

The games sector rotates a number of video games that may be downloaded every month along with various Twitch feeds and other services. According to the statement, the company's primary emphasis is still on creating and releasing games like "Blue Protocol" and the free games available in Prime Gaming.

Free shipping and unlimited streaming video are two benefits of the $139 yearly Prime membership, which also includes Prime Gaming.

"We've listened to our customers whereas we know delivering free games every month is precisely what they want most, so we are tightening our Prime benefit to increase our efforts there," Hartmann said.

About 100 positions were eliminated by Amazon in the gaming division in April.

Amazon's third-quarter net profits significantly above analysts' projections, and the Seattle-based business predicted sales to be broadly in line with predictions for the year's final quarter.

Over the last year, Amazon has eliminated over 27,000 positions as part of a wave of tech layoffs in the United States brought on by the industry's overabundance of hiring during the epidemic.

In his email, Hartmann said that the business is "actively recruiting" for more positions within the division.

"I recognize that this is the subsequent one time this year that you are hearing regarding org-wide team changes and seeing teammates go, so let me be very clear when I say this: I remained confident in our future," he said.