Amazon Games boss and company veteran Mike Frazzini is stepping down.
Frazzini announced the news on Linkedin, explaining he will be officially departing on April 29, 2022, to spend more time with his family.
The Amazon Games vice president has been with the company for over 17 years. Frazzini initially joined as a product manager in 2004 and took on a number of roles over the years including director of Amazon’s physical and video games business, before eventually being appointed VP of Amazon Games in 2015.
Frazzini was charged with helping Amazon break into the games industry as a developer and publisher, and during his tenure has overseen the successful launches of titles like New World and Lost Ark — the latter of which amassed over 1.32 million concurrent players during its launch weekend in February this year.
There have been some notable misses, too, with Amazon Games cancelling a number of projects including Breakaway, Crucible, and an untitled Lord of the Rings game for a myriad of reasons ranging from contractual disputes to sustainability concerns.
Commenting on the timing of his departure, Frazzini suggested it was important to leave Amazon Games on solid footing.
“While there’s never really a perfect time to step away from a great role, now is a good time. We’ve launched two top 10 games in the past six months, and have a growing portfolio of promising new games in the pipeline,” Frazzini explained.
“Prime Gaming is on a strong trajectory, providing more and more great content to players worldwide who are members of Amazon Prime. And we have some newer initiatives that are gaining real traction. Plus importantly, each of these teams are led by excellent leaders. The future is very bright for Amazon Games.”