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Amazon Hires Creator Of Portal To Make Games For The Fire TV [Report]

When you’re building a new gaming platform, what do you do first? If you’re smart, you secure talent to create content for said platform. Amazon has been doing just that for a few years no...
Amazon Hires Creator Of Portal To Make Games For The Fire TV [Report]
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  • When you’re building a new gaming platform, what do you do first? If you’re smart, you secure talent to create content for said platform. Amazon has been doing just that for a few years now, but now it has its own sort-of games console with the Fire TV. Now it looks like the company has hired some incredible talent to make games for its new platform.

    Kotaku reports that Kim Swift and Clint Hocking to make games for its new Fire TV platform. Those in the know will recognize Swift as one of the creators of Valve’s incredibly popular Portal franchise. She was also the one behind 2012’s Quantum Conundrum. Hocking may not be as immediately recognizable as Swift, but he’s also well-known among certain circles as the director of Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2.

    With these two hires, it’s apparent that Amazon is getting serious about game development. It already has its own Amazon Game Studios making exclusive games for the Fire TV. Swift and Hocking will likely work with Amazon’s own internal game development studios to create games for its Fire TV platform. More specifically, the two will likely join Double Helix Games in making games that will appeal to core gamers.

    Core gamers are apparently key to Amazon’s strategy as no other micro-console, like the Ouya, has yet to really appeal to core gamers. These are the gamers that demand the very best in gameplay and technology from their entertainment. So far, only dedicated games consoles and PCs have been able to deliver the experiences they crave. While the Fire TV isn’t anywhere near as powerful as a PS4 or top of the line PC, it’s certainly more powerful than the other Android consoles on the market. With this power, Amazon Game Studios will likely attempt to craft experiences that will be just as memorable as Portal or Far Cry 2.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

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