Amazon reveals 4v4 online brawler Breakaway

In case you didn't know, e-commerce giant Amazon is now into games and has its own development studio, Amazon Game Studios. They're currently working on three games (New World, Crucible and Breakaway), and it was Breakaway that just got the spotlight.

Breakaway is a 4v4 brawler with legendary warriors (Vlad the Impaler, Morgan Le Fay, Spartacus, Alona, Thorgrim and more), each with their own unique skills, weapons, and Buildables – this is one of the original aspects of this MOBA. Buildables are summonable structures that can be used to dynamically alter the arena and drastically change the playing field. You'll be fighting for the relic, an artifact of immense power in locations such as El Dorado, Atlantis, and Styx.

There's a strong focus on the competitive scene, with Twitch (also owned by Amazon) being used in some new ways: Metastream (allows streamers to customize their broadcasts with real-time stat overlays), Broadcaster Match Builder (lets broadcasters invite their followers to join their matches), Broadcaster Spotlight (adds to the excitement of streaming. It tells players when they’re in a match that’s being broadcast, and lets them follow the broadcaster with a single click), and Stream+ (gives broadcasters new ways to interact with their viewers through polls, and by allowing viewers to wager loyalty points that are redeemable for in-game rewards.)

While there was no specific talk about the business model, Breakaway has all the makings of a free-to-play game, considering that it needs a large player base to make itself visible in a genre that is extremely crowded. You can already sign up for the alpha at the official Breakaway website, but be warned that it requires a Twitch account. We'll get back to it when we have an update!