Amazon unveils social games studio

Online retail and technology firm Amazon has unveiled its new social games studio.

Named Amazon Game Studios, the developer’s debut outing will be hidden object title Living Classics for Facebook.

The game will be based on a family of foxes as they walk through animated illustrations based on books such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and King Arthur.

The new studio was first revealed in 2008 when Amazon acquired San Francisco-based casual games developer Reflexive, although the retail giant has been quiet on the company’s operations since then.

“Amazon Game Studios is exactly what it sounds like: a new team at Amazon that’s focused on creating innovative, fun and well-crafted games,” read a statement on the website.

“Our first title, Living Classics, is debuting on Facebook today. Why is Amazon making social games, you ask? Good question! We know that many Amazon customers enjoy playing games – including free-to-play social games – and thanks to Amazon’s know-how, we believe we can deliver a great, accessible gaming experience that gamers and our customers can play any time.”

The news of Amazon’s first games studio comes shortly after the announcement that the online retail outfit is to open a new digital media innovation hub in London.

The new UK office will house teams of software development engineers, user interface experts and graphic designers working on the creation of interactive digital services for games consoles, smartphones, PCs and TV.