EverQuest co-creator John Smedley is leading a new San Diego-based studio for Amazon Game Studios, the company announced today.
Smedley, previously the president of Sony Online Entertainment and Daybreak Game Company, will lead an “all-new team” in San Diego on an unannounced title. In a release, Amazon said Smedley’s “ambitious new project” will tap “into the power of the AWS Cloud and Twitch to connect players around the globe in a thrilling new game world.”
“John’s pioneering work helped define the modern MMO, and his influence can be felt in thousands of games that followed,” Amazon said in a statement. “He helped create the blueprint for fusing massive game worlds with vibrant player communities, a vision that we share at Amazon Game Studios.”
Amazon says Amazon Game Studios San Diego’s project is still “early days.”
Smedley stepped down as CEO and president of Daybreak Game Company in 2015. Later that year, he founded Pixelmage Games, which developed action role-playing games Hero’s Song. In 2016, both Pixelmage Games and Hero’s Song shut down.
Amazon Game Studios has other locations in Orange County, California and Seattle, Washington. The company is working on a handful of announced games for PC, including mythological sport brawler Breakaway, massively multiplayer sandbox game New World and sci-fi survival game Crucible.
Comments
Isn’t he the one that had a Twitter meltdown?
By n64ra on 02.15.17 4:39pm
If you call out the people who called in a bomb threat to an airport to stop him from going somewhere. Then sure.
By Dr. Panda on 02.15.17 5:38pm
No fan of John’s. This seems like a mistake to me by Amazon. In fact, knowing he’s on board soured me to Amazon games before I know anything about it.
By Captfantastic1 on 02.15.17 5:32pm
He’s not bad. But he needs a team that can reign him back down to earth. Alone he kind if gets over his head.
By Dr. Panda on 02.15.17 5:38pm
Ugh, risky move by Amazon.. Smedley has made a massive string of failures lately. But I guess if anyone has money to waste it’s Amazon.
By Hathur on 02.15.17 5:37pm
Smedley has a whimsical sound to it. Like he’d be a Harry Potter character.
By Daws001 on 02.15.17 6:00pm
He also has a bit of a whimsical look to himself, like those moonface memes, but what does it matter?
By johnnybpunkt on 02.16.17 3:28am
Owch. Saying Smed created EQ is a slap in the face to the people he simply hired to create EQ.
Smed’s contribution to EQ : "I bet we could make money with a visiual MUD! I better higher some awesome people to make that."
Brad McQuaid and Bill Trost made EQ. Mostly Brad I’d wager. Looking more forward to Pantheon.
By CoffeeNCamels on 02.17.17 5:56am