Eight years after entering the video game publishing market, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is launching its first major video game, Crucible , Wednesday. In the free-to-play team shooter game, which takes a page from Fortnite, players choose from ten different hunter characters and three playable game modes. IMAGE SOURCE: AMAZON. Amazon will make money via in-game purchases, according to Bloomberg. The e-commerce giant is also working on New World, another battle type game slated for an August release. While Amazon has been in the game-making business since 2014, Crucible marks the first blockbuster game from its gaming unit. Previously, the unit had been focused on making games for tablet devices and getting more people to sign up for its Prime subscription service. The tech stock is entering a crowded market that counts heavy hitters like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY), and Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI). If the title takes off with game players it could put Amazon in a position to take on the incumbents. After all, the more successful a game studio is the easier it becomes to lure talent. It doesn't hurt that Amazon owns Twitch, the popular streaming gaming platform it acquired in 2014. Not to mention, millions of people are still sheltering at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking for ways to pass the time. Time will tell whether Amazon's first video game foray will be a success, or whether it will be drowned out among a sea of competition. 10 stocks we like better than MicrosoftWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Microsoft wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of April 16, 2020 John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Donna Fuscaldo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Activision Blizzard, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Nintendo and recommends the following options: long January 2021 $85 calls on Microsoft, short January 2021 $115 calls on Microsoft, short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon, and long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source