Amazon's first original video game release has been scheduled for May after several coronavirus-related delays. Sci-fi shooter Crucible will be the first original big-budget game from the online market and internet giant.

The company hopes that it would be able to release Cricible in May despite the uncertainty around the Covid-19 epidemic, NY Times reported. The company is also working on a cloud-based gaming platform, which it has designated “Project Tempo”.

Amazon vows to go all-out by offering new casual games which Twitch broadcasters can play alongside their viewers in real-time.

Jeff Bezos, the company head, demonstrated their seriousness in this endeavor by renaming its flagship gaming company in Seattle into Relentless Studios. Bezos had originally planned to name the online marketplace Relentless.com. The domain still points towards Amazon.

In the coming months, Amazon is looking at shipping not only Crucible but also New World. According to IGN, New World is an MMO that Relentless Studios has been working on, and they have been pretty open about its development.

Not much is known about Crucible other than it was initially unveiled in 2016 during the company’s annual TwitchCon. The game was publicized as a “class-based, last-man-standing” game. It had been redesigned many times, according to reports, although it appears to be something closer to online battle arenas such as League of Legends and Dota 2.

On Amazon’s website, the description for the game says that it’s a “fight for survival and control.” It appears that there are competitors vying for a trophy of sorts, and players will also have a sort of PvE (Player vs. Environment) experience while playing PvP (Player vs. Player). Teammates will also need to work together, suggesting a sort of capture-the-flag experience in online gameplay.

Aside from Crucible and New World, the studio is also working on a massively multiplayer game which is based on the “Lord of the Rings”. This could be credited to John Smedley’s joining. John Smedley was a former president of Sony Online Entertainment and he joined the company in 2017 to reportedly head an Amazon game studio in San Diego.

Amazon said it is implementing new safety measures including temperature checks for empoyees at warehouses as part of its efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic
Amazon said it is implementing new safety measures including temperature checks for empoyees at warehouses as part of its efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic AFP / Johannes EISELE
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