Amazon Game Studios hires Portal designer Kim Swift, Splinter Cell designer Clint Hocking

Amazon Game Studios has expanded its game developer ranks with two notable names: Portal designer Kim Swift and Far Cry 2 creative director Clint Hocking.

The Seattle-based hires, first reported by Kotaku, both show their new roles at Amazon Game Studios on LinkedIn. Swift lists her role as senior designer, "working on secret things for a secret amount of time that no one can know about." Hocking also names his role as senior designer, working on unannounced projects. Hocking says he's worked at Amazon Game Studios since February.

Prior to working at Amazon Game Studios, Swift worked as creative director at Airtight Games on titles Quantum Conundrum and Soul Fjord. She is perhaps best known for her work on the original Portal while at Valve, where she worked until 2009.

Hocking has previously worked at Valve, LucasArts and Ubisoft, where he contributed to Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2. Hocking confirmed his employment, and Swift's, in an email to Polygon.

Amazon announced the $99 Fire TV set-top box today, a diminutive device that plays movies, television shows and Android-based games via an Amazon-produced controller. Amazon Game Studios revealed its first Fire TV-exclusive game, the shooter-tower defense hybrid Sev Zero, today and teased a number of new Amazon-developed games in a highlight reel.

Amazon purchased game developer Double Helix (Killer Instinct, Strider) earlier this year to bolster its roster of game development talent.