Amazon has axed 180 jobs in its gaming division as part of wider restructuring, reported Reuters, citing an email.

In the email, Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said: “After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward.”

On Monday, 13 November 2023, the company started notifying the staff members about their roles being removed.

Amazon’s games division offers access to downloadable versions of video games on a monthly basis, along with several Twitch channels and other services.

According to the statement, the company’s primary focus is still on developing and releasing games such as “Blue Protocol” and the free games available in Prime Gaming.

The Prime Gaming service is offered as part of the $139 yearly Prime membership, which also includes free shipping and video streaming.

“We have listened to our customers and we know delivering free games every month is what they want most, so we are refining our Prime benefit to increase our focus there,” Hartmann added.

In April this year, Amazon laid off 100 employees from the gaming division.

In his email, Hartmann stated that the company is “actively recruiting” for additional positions within the division.

“I recognise that this is the second time this year that you are hearing about org-wide team changes and seeing colleagues go, so let me be very clear when I say this: I remain confident in our future,” he added.

Last week, Amazon commenced layoffs in its music unit, impacting employees across North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Over the past year, Amazon has eliminated more than 27,000 positions as part of a wave of tech layoffs in the US.