Amazon Game Studiosは昨年10月に数千人の人員削減を実施し、Project Tridentおよび『ロード・オブ・ザ・リング』のMMO開発を中止した。開発チームは生成AIの導入に追われていた。
これらの中止は、Amazon全体で約1万4000人の雇用を削減する大規模な人員整理の一環として行われた。Project Tridentは、生成AIを活用するよう企業側から圧力を受けたことで方針転換を繰り返しており、『ワンダと巨像』スタイルの冒険から『Helldivers』のようなマルチプレイヤーゲーム、最終的にはAIを活用したNPCとの対話機能を備えたシングルプレイヤータイトルへと変遷していた。Eurogamerが入手した情報によると、2025年10月に人員削減が行われた際、チームはデモ版の完成間近であったという。
X上では、Amazonが生成AIの導入を強要した末にProject Tridentを中止したことや、2025年の人員削減に伴う『ロード・オブ・ザ・リング』MMOの中止について議論が交わされている。ユーザーからは、AIへの急激な方針転換に対する批判や、Amazonのゲーム開発戦略に対する失望の声が上がっている。また、AI導入の義務化の効果を疑問視する投稿や、業界全体で大規模プロジェクトから撤退する動きがあることを指摘する声も見られる。
Amazon Game Studios has shut down Project Trident and laid off the entire team in San Diego.
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) 2026年5月14日
The game started as a team adventure like Shadow of the Colossus, with giant monster fights, grappling hooks, and flying mounts.
In mid-2024 Amazon told all teams to add AI tools as… pic.twitter.com/NraRqdOYg6
Amazon Game Studios has cancelled its Lord of the Rings MMO.
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) 2026年5月14日
Announced in May 2023 in partnership with Embracer, the project was still in very early pre-production.
The decision follows Amazon’s major layoffs last October, which scaled back several first-party AAA and MMO.… pic.twitter.com/VLPYoIEL9c
Amazon has reportedly cancelled its Lord of the Rings MMO, after recent mass layoffs
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) 2025年10月30日
Former engineer Ashleigh Amrine confirmed that her entire team working on the game had been let go pic.twitter.com/MxH8jtR7YU
AMAZON REPORTEDLY PUSHED A GAME TEAM TO REBUILD A PROJECT AROUND AI, THEN LAID THEM OFF
— Wall St Engine (@wallstengine) 2026年5月14日
Eurogamer reports $AMZN's Project Trident started as a co-op action game where players scaled giant Jotuns using grappling hooks and flying mounts.
Sources said the original version had… pic.twitter.com/uDtMDsCc9z
Amazon Pressured One of Its Teams to Develop an AI Game, They Scrambled to Make It Work - Then Got Laid off Anywayhttps://t.co/Yk91qwY6GA#gamedev #videogames #pcgaming #gaming #genai #ai
— DreamStation.cc (@DreamStationcc) 2026年5月14日
AIによるレポート AIによって生成された画像
Amazon Game Studios has terminated its publishing agreement with Maverick Games for an upcoming narrative-led racing game. The decision aligns with Amazon's shift away from triple-A titles toward projects like Luna and Tomb Raider. Maverick Games, founded by former Forza Horizon developers, is seeking a new publisher while continuing development.
Warhorse Studios, developers of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, remained coy about rumors of a Lord of the Rings RPG during a Reddit AMA on May 1. The session was overshadowed by fan questions about AI replacing a translator. The team confirmed work on a new huge immersive RPG but revealed no further details.
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Fresh rumours indicate that Warhorse Studios, developer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, is working on a major Lord of the Rings project. Industry veteran Ryszard Chojnowski cited credible sources claiming Warhorse's involvement in Embracer Group's Middle-earth game, partially funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. The speculation links to a late 2025 report detailing a third-person action title aiming to rival Hogwarts Legacy.
Vinit Agarwal, former director of the cancelled Last of Us multiplayer game, revealed that the project was about 80 percent complete when Naughty Dog axed it roughly three years ago. In an interview with Lance E. Lee, Agarwal described the decision as stemming from a post-COVID decline in online gaming and a choice to prioritize single-player titles led by studio president Neil Druckmann. He called the cancellation soul-crushing after seven years of work.
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Several developers from Warner Bros. Montréal have announced on LinkedIn that they have been laid off, with most finishing on Friday, 13th March. No formal confirmation from the company has been issued yet. The reports come amid ongoing struggles in Warner Bros.' games division.
Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment's multiplayer shooter, has gone offline on March 12, 2026—less than two months after launch—following last week's shutdown announcement amid player retention and funding woes. A former Naughty Dog artist who designed early concept art for hero Condor has sworn off live-service projects, while a Kotaku writer mourned the game's unique chill vibe.
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Development sources indicate Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse remains years away from release. Parent company NetEase hesitates to expand the team amid financial concerns tied to the studio's recent game. Spellcasters Chronicles' poor Steam performance raises doubts about further investment.