Amazon Games Opens New Studio in Bucharest, Romania
Amazon Games recently announced the opening of a new game development studio in Bucharest, Romania. The studio will be led by Cristian Pana, who previously served as the managing director of Ubisoft Bucharest and has over two decades of experience in the industry, working on major titles like Tom Clancy’s The Division and The Crew.
The new studio is currently in the process of hiring for a variety of positions and will focus on supporting Amazon Games’ current and future portfolio of games. Amazon Games has already released ambitious live-service games like New World and Lost Ark, and is actively working on upcoming projects such as the next Tomb Raider installment and a new The Lord of the Rings game.
Amazon Games is also set to publish an original title from British indie studio Glowmade and the anime-inspired action RPG Blue Protocol from Bandai Namco studio Project Sky Blue. In response to the studio’s opening, Pana expressed his excitement, stating, “I’m thrilled to join Amazon Games at a time when the team is actively building across an exciting roadmap. I’ve built and led outstanding teams in the past and I know this area of Europe is a hot spot for some of the very best talent in gaming.”
Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games, spoke about the company’s gaming strategy, emphasizing their focus on developing and publishing great games. He added, “Expanding our internal development teams into Europe was a natural next step for us as we tackle our broad portfolio. Bucharest is known as one of the top emerging European cities for game development and we look forward to tapping into the rich talent pool.”
With Amazon’s extensive lineup of upcoming releases and live-service games, the establishment of a new support studio in Romania appears to be a strategic move in bolstering their development efforts.