There are reports from Amazon Game Studios that the “Lumberyard Engine” is causing difficulties. It was not designed for multiplayer. Interestingly, multiplayer games like Star Citizen and Amazon’s own survival MMO New World use this engine.
Where do these reports come from? Last week it was revealed that Amazon is pulling “dozens of employees” from their games and shutting down some gaming projects.
In light of this negative news, the Wall Street Journal spoke with current and former game developers at Amazon who wish to remain anonymous.
What the developers say: According to the developers, the problems stem from the engine used to develop the games. The Lumberyard Engine was not designed with “multiplayer in mind.”
When Amazon developed the already canceled multiplayer game Breakaway, it was as if “you were driving a train while the tracks were still being laid.”
Another developer says: “They are still figuring out what it means to own and maintain their own engine.”
Amazon intended to create powerful multiplayer games with the engine they bought in 2016, but then realized that the engine was not suitable for that purpose. Attempts to repurpose the engine have proven difficult. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal, referring to “current and former employees.”
It is said that the problems are so widespread that Amazon is considering allowing its own studios to use a different engine.
What kind of engine is that? The Lumberyard Engine is a “heavily modified version” of the Cry Engine. It was thought that it was mainly designed to work well on Twitch.
The streaming service also belongs to Amazon.
What does Star Citizen have to do with this? Star Citizen switched from its own engine, which was also based on the Cry Engine, to the Lumberyard Engine. At the time, it was not a big deal, it was said, and it took two technicians a workday.
In the forum of reddit, the fans of Star Citizen take the news calmly. They say they know that the “Cry Engine” was not designed for multiplayer. Therefore, the developers of Star Citizen have been working for a long time to adapt the engine accordingly.
That Amazon is having problems does not alarm the fans.
Besides Star Citizen, few “non-Amazon” games use the Lumberyard Engine. A game from Wargaming, which is still in development, is said to use it.
So far, “New World” has been considered alongside Star Citizen as the flagship game for this engine.
