Amazon MGM Studios is expanding its Japan operations and anime slate, has commissioned AI-produced anime through the GenAI Creators' Fund, and recently withdrew from the Sam Altman biopic 'Artificial.' Amazon Games is shifting away from MMO publishing while preparing to publish future James Bond titles, and AWS has acquired DuckLabs while keeping DuckDB open source.
Amazon's recent moves span its studios, gaming arm, and cloud division, showing a company actively redefining its entertainment and software operations. Amazon MGM Studios hired Buddy Marini to lead Japan, an executive with manga and streaming experience, as Prime Video publicly aims to become the top global platform for anime. The studio also launched the GenAI Creators' Fund with AWS, commissioning three AI-produced anime series for Prime Video, and acquired film rights to The Mandela Catalogue with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment.
The studio's editorial independence came under question when it dropped Luca Guadagnino's nearly complete Sam Altman biopic 'Artificial,' following Amazon's $50 billion partnership with OpenAI. Amazon is working to find a new distributor. In gaming, Amazon Games will publish future James Bond titles, while Amazon Game Studios is retreating from MMO operations, handing Lost Ark back to Smilegate and Throne and Liberty to NC and FirstSpark Games.
Amazon's acquisition of DuckLabs keeps DuckDB open source under an independent foundation, preserving the project's model while the team joins AWS. Together, these stories show Amazon consolidating control across content production, gaming, and database technology, while sometimes stepping back from projects that conflict with its corporate interests.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.
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Amazon has signed a definitive agreement to acquire DuckLabs, the Amsterdam-based company behind the open-source database DuckDB. The DuckLabs team will join AWS, with founders Hannes Mühleisen and Mark Raasveldt continuing to lead. DuckDB will remain free and open source under the MIT License, managed by the independent DuckDB Foundation. The transition is expected to complete by early September.
European publisher Sendai Books announced it will release Natsuko Ishitsuyo's Amazoness Kiss and Xian Ozn's Never Mind Come Together in English. Both manga originally ran on LEED Publishing's Torch website, and Sendai Books expects to ship the first volumes in October, with shipping available to the United States.
Amazon Game Studios announced on August 12 that it will step back from publishing the Korean MMORPG Lost Ark in Western regions, with developer Smilegate taking over operations in early 2027. The transition is part of a broader retreat by Amazon Game Studios from MMO operations, which also includes handing over Throne and Liberty to NC and FirstSpark Games in the fourth quarter of 2026. Lost Ark, developed by Smilegate and operated in the West by Amazon Game Studios, will see most player data carried over, though in-game mail, chat messages, and some other elements will not transfer. Players will link their Steam accounts to Smilegate's system during the transition, and those who do not want their data moved can opt out through a dedicated page before the transfer date. Amazon Game Studios described the move as returning the game to its developers, while Smilegate framed it as a chance to reconsider the game's future direction, aiming to respond faster to player feedback and gradually close the content update gap with the Korean version. The Japanese service for Lost Ark ended in March 2024, and the Steam store page remains restricted there, though the developer's overseas operation could open the door to a revival.
Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, United Artists, and Amazon MGM Studios have acquired the film rights to The Mandela Catalogue, a YouTube analog horror series. Original creator Alex Kister will direct and co-write the script with Tyler Clifton. The series, launched in 2021, follows alien beings called Alternates that impersonate humans in a fictional Wisconsin county.
Amazon MGM Studios has withdrawn from distributing the nearly complete biographical film 'Artificial', directed by Luca Guadagnino and centered on OpenAI founder Sam Altman's 2023 firing and rehiring. The move follows Amazon's $50 billion strategic partnership with OpenAI in February 2026. Amazon is working with the production team to find a new distributor.
Amazon Games general manager Jeff Gattis told Polygon that future 007 video games will be published by Amazon, following the company's acquisition of creative control over the James Bond IP in 2025. The first game, IO Interactive's '007 First Light', sold 1.5 million copies in 24 hours but was grandfathered under a pre-existing contract, allowing IOI to self-publish it. How IO Interactive will be involved in future sequels has not been disclosed.
Amazon MGM Studios has appointed Buddy Marini as head of its Japan operations, effective March 6. Based in Tokyo, Marini will oversee the development and production of local originals across film, television series, and anime, and work with Amazon's global teams to distribute Japanese content on Prime Video. He reports to Nicole Clemens, who joined Amazon in June 2025 to lead international operations. Marini was most recently managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery Japan, where he led a team of 300 people across streaming, original production, pay-TV networks, and licensing. Earlier in his career, he founded the manga platform Mangamo, served as CEO of Hulu Japan, and managed Avex Asia in Hong Kong. Prime Video's current anime slate includes "Fist of the North Star: Hokuto No Ken," "The Ghost in the Shell," and "From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman." Amazon's APAC chief Gaurav Gandhi said last month the company aims to be "the preferred destination for anime content globally."
Amazon MGM Studios and AWS announced the GenAI Creators' Fund on May 27, a program providing AI tools and funding to creators. Three anime series have been commissioned from the fund: "Cupcake & Friends" by BuzzFeed Studios, "Love, Diana Music Hunters" by Albie Hecht, and "Punky Duck" by Jorge R. Gutierrez. All will be produced using AWS's Project Nara AI platform with human oversight and will premiere on Prime Video.