John Smedley Announces Departure From Amazon Game Studios

After six years, John Smedley has decided it’s time to move on from Amazon Game Studios. Recently he informed staff about the decision, telling them that, “after a lot of thought, [he’s] decided it’s time for [him] to try something new." This message was delivered to staff via email.

According to Bloomberg, who reviewed the email, Andy Sites will be assisting Smedley while he ties up loose ends and gets ready for the transition. According to an Amazon spokesperson, Smedley “is committed to staying on until the team is fully transitioned” and that his team is “focused on bringing their unannounced project to life”. The project in question is an unnamed sci-fi MMOFPS that has managed to avoid being canceled like other Amazon-developed titles.

As for what Smedley plans to do, he apparently hasn’t said. That’s not uncommon, as many developers can’t say until after things are settled.