A zoomed-in image of a man looking at a computer monitor showing the Amazon logo is seen in Vienna on November 26, 2012. REUTERS / Leonhard Foeger / File Photo
The video game division of Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN.O) has canceled an online role-playing game based on the fantastic Lord of the Rings series, which was announced in 2019, an Amazon spokeswoman said.
The game had been developed at Amazon Game Studios alongside China-based Leyou Technologies Holdings, which was acquired by Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) in December.
The resulting contract negotiations sparked a dispute between Amazon and Tencent that eventually led to the cancellation of the game, Bloomberg reported earlier Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
“Following the recent acquisition of Leyou by Tencent, at this time we have not been able to obtain conditions to proceed with this title,” the Amazon spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The Amazon team working on the game will move on to other projects, he said.
Amazon Game Studios has struggled to launch a successful video game since its launch in 2014.
The company has canceled previously announced Breakaway and Crucible games, while another of its games, New World, has been repeatedly delayed, Bloomberg reported.
Amazon’s video game division has had problems due to mismanagement and cultural clashes between game developers and the company’s principles, Bloomberg said earlier this year.
Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy said earlier this year that he was committed to the video game division, which he launched under the direction of Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos.
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