Amazon fully exits the MMO business

Amazon is formally stepping away from massively multiplayer online games, announcing on Wednesday that it will transfer operation of its two remaining MMOs to outside companies.

Throne and Liberty will be handed over to FirstSpark Games and NC in the West starting in the fourth quarter of 2026. Lost Ark's live operations will move to Smilegate beginning in early 2027.

A strategy shift long in motion

The move follows an announcement Amazon made last year that it would significantly scale back work on first-party AAA titles, specifically citing MMOs. When that broader strategy shift was revealed in October, the team behind Amazon's third MMO, New World: Aeternum, said it would stop releasing new content updates for the game.

New World: Aeternum has been unavailable for purchase since January, and Amazon plans to take the game offline entirely on January 31st, 2027.

Where Amazon's gaming focus lies now

Amazon's gaming efforts are now centered elsewhere: its Luna cloud gaming service, party games designed to be played on a TV using a phone as a controller — including titles featuring AI-powered characters based on Snoop Dogg and Arnold Schwarzenegger — and games tied to other franchises the company is developing, such as James Bond and Tomb Raider.