After Hero's Song burst into flames and all people were refunded, he closed the doors on his studio, Pixelmage games.
That was about 2 months ago.
Now he does this.
http://www.polygon.com/2017/2/15/14628784/amazon-game-studios-john-smedley-san-diego
Fascinating. That photo is the closest approximation to a smile that I've ever seen on his face. I think.
Bold move on Amazon's part. I guess they--of all companies--aren't afraid to risk the "let's bleed money and then turn things around into a big success" business model. If that's what they're going for.