(Amazon Image)

Amazon Games announced on Tuesday that it’s opened a new internal studio in Montreal.

The studio, simply called Amazon Games Montreal, is currently hiring artists and designers for its inaugural project. Its remit from Amazon is to create original, high-budget online multiplayer games.

The opening shows Amazon’s continued investments in its gaming arm. This is Amazon’s fourth internal production studio for game development. It joins Amazon Games San Diego, Amazon Games Orange County, and Seattle’s Relentless Studios. Amazon’s next original project, the MMORPG New World, is currently planned for release in August.

Amazon pulled the plug on its first big budget video game ‘Crucible’ in October. Amazon’s other gaming-related endeavors include its new streaming service Luna, which launched last year.

The Montreal studio is currently headed by creative director Xavier Marquis, alongside head of production Luc Bouchard, head of product Alexandre Remy, and content director Romain Rimokh. All four were previously at Ubisoft Montreal, where they were all core members of the Rainbow Six: Siege team.

Siege, a head-to-head tactical shooter, overcame a rough launch in 2015 to become a popular e-sport and game-as-a-service, with over 70 million registered players as of the end of last year.

“Building upon 8 years of experience with Siege, we are excited to start with a blank page and the creative freedom to create a unique experience in the multiplayer space,” Marquis said in Amazon’s press release.

Amazon Games Montreal is specifically identified as a producer of “AAA” games in the initial announcement. This is an informal term in game development, borrowed from minor league baseball, that usually indicates a game has a large staff and a big production budget. Whatever Amazon Games Montreal ends up making, and the presence of so many Siege developers suggests it’ll be a tactical shooter, they’re aiming at some ambitious targets.

Montreal is one of the largest cities for video game development in North America, behind San Francisco and Austin, Texas. It represents roughly a quarter of the video game industry in Canada, spurred by a big local scene — big companies in Montreal include Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Eidos, and WB Games — and a generous tax credit from the local government.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.