Breakaway may be dead before it could ever truly live. The hybrid sports brawler was a blue chip prospect for Amazon's newly-formed game development division. It seemed like it was shaping up to be something special. Plans have changed, though.
According to a report from Kotaku, two sources have said that Breakaway may be canceled. At the very least, it's on an "indefinite hiatus." Amazon has held several public playtesting events for Breakaway over the past few months, and that data seemingly indicated that the game isn't on the right path.
Shortly after Kotaku published its story, Amazon released its own statement that reads, in part: "In order to get it right, we're letting our team take the time to iterate and evolve Breakaway's core gameplay to deliver what you've asked for. We aren't sure how long this will take, but we think it's the right thing to do for the game, and you, the community."
Whether it's canceled, on hiatus, or being retooled, this development can't really be construed as anything other than a major loss for a developer that hasn't had any real wins. Known designers Clint Hocking and Kim Swift both left Amazon before shipping a game. Across its three studios, it has only produced mobile titles that haven't made much of a splash. Now that Breakaway is shelved, the two PC games in its lineup are New World and Crucible -- neither of which has gotten the attention that Breakaway did.
Amazon Game Studios really needs something to go right soon. The one undeniable positive (and this really can't be overstated enough) is that it's funded by the world's biggest retailer.
Sources: Amazon’s Breakaway Is Basically Canceled [Update] [Kotaku], Plans for Breakaway [Breakaway]
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