Amazon opens new studio in Bucharest

Amazon Games has opened its first studio in Europe, led by former Ubisoft managing director Cristian Pana.

Headquartered in Bucharest, the new studio will focus on supporting Amazon’s growing portfolio of games and joins already established development teams in Orange County, Montreal, San Diego, and Seattle.

Studio head Cristian Pana has over two decades of experience at Ubisoft in multiple roles, having started out in QA in 2004 leading to various producer roles before becoming managing director of Ubisoft Bucharest from 2020 to 2024.

“I’m thrilled to join Amazon Games at a time when the team is actively building across an exciting roadmap,” said Pana.

“I’ve built and led outstanding teams in the past and I know this area of Europe is a hot spot for some of the very best talent in gaming.”

VP of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann added: “Expanding our internal development teams into Europe was a natural next step for us as we tackle our brand portfolio.

“Bucharest is known as one of the top emerging European cities for game development and we look forward to tapping into the rich talent pool.”