According to Eurogamer.net, following Amazon’s decision to “gut” its video game division in October as part of 14,000 company-wide job cuts, Ubisoft has announced the acquisition of Amazon Games Montreal. The deal, announced in December 2025, includes the rights to the studio’s in-development multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, March of Giants, and the entire team, which includes former Rainbow Six Siege creative director Xavier Marquis. Ubisoft cites a belief that the global MOBA market’s revenues will roughly double by 2030, and it sees March of Giants as an innovative project that can attract new audiences. As part of the agreement, Amazon has committed to providing marketing support for the game on its Twitch platform. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. This sale comes after Amazon’s VP, Steven Boom, confirmed the company was halting a significant amount of its first-party AAA game development, specifically around MMOs, leading to the cancellation of projects like a Lord of the Rings MMO.
Ubisoft’s MOBA Gamble
So, Ubisoft is buying its way into the MOBA ring. That’s a bold move. The genre is famously dominated by absolute titans like League of Legends and Dota 2. Breaking into that space isn’t just hard; it’s a decade-long challenge of building a community, balancing an insane number of variables, and creating a sustainable live-service model. Ubisoft’s statement, referencing a market set to double by 2030, feels like corporate optimism 101. Everyone wants a piece of a growing pie.
But here’s the thing: maybe they see a real crack in the armor. The core League and Dota audiences are entrenched, but also aging. There might be a genuine appetite for a “fresh and dynamic” take, as CEO Yves Guillemot put it, especially on consoles where the MOBA scene is less saturated. Acquiring a ready-made team with veterans like Xavier Marquis is smarter than building from scratch. They’re not just buying a game; they’re buying years of development time and expertise. Still, I think the odds are massively against them. This is a “bet the studio” kind of project.
amazon-s-great-retreat”>Amazon’s Great Retreat
This sale is the final, tidy punctuation on Amazon’s disastrous foray into big-budget game development. Remember all the hype? They were going to leverage AWS, Twitch, and insane budgets to conquer gaming. They hired top talent, greenlit MMOs based on Lord of the Rings and their own New World IP. And what do they have to show for it? A lot of canceled projects and a division that got “gutted.”
Look, Amazon’s strength has always been infrastructure and platform. Twitch is a platform. AWS is infrastructure. Trying to create bespoke, artistic content like AAA games? That’s a completely different muscle, one they clearly struggled to build. Halting “a significant amount” of AAA work, as Steven Boom said, is corporate speak for “we failed, and it’s costing too much.” Selling this Montreal studio to Ubisoft is basically an asset liquidation. They get some cash back, offload future payroll, and keep a marketing tie-in via Twitch. It’s a retreat, but a pragmatic one. The real question is: does this mean they’re out of game development for good, or just recalibrating to something smaller?
The Twitch Wild Card
The most interesting nugget in the whole announcement might be Amazon’s commitment to provide marketing support on Twitch. That’s a huge deal. Think about it: direct access to the world’s largest live-streaming platform for gamers. Ubisoft won’t just be buying ads; they’ll likely get integrated promotions, front-page featuring, and support from top streamers.
This is where Amazon’s platform power actually becomes relevant. They couldn’t make the game, but they can absolutely help sell it. For Ubisoft, that marketing muscle is probably as valuable as the development team itself. It gives March of Giants a launchpad most new IPs could only dream of. But is it enough? A great marketing push can get people to try a game, but only a great game can get them to stay. The pressure on this “seasoned” team, now back at Ubisoft, is going to be immense from day one.
