Amazon has discontinued development on its online multiplayer video game "Crucible" five months after its debut. The "Fortnite" competitor launched on May 20 but was placed into "closed beta" a month later. Now, Amazon says it discontinued development entirely after the game failed to meet expectations.

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• The free-to-play shooter was Amazon's first AAA title and a supposed rival to games like "Call of Duty," "Valorant," and "Overwatch."
• One week after launch, it had fewer than 5,000 players on average and disappeared from Steam's 100 most-played games, prompting Amazon to pull it from digital stores and put it back into closed beta.
• Any closed beta players will be able to play the game "for a short while." A final playtest and community celebration will take place in the coming weeks before custom games end and servers are shut down on Nov. 9.
• Amazon is offering full refunds for any in-game purchases, via Steam or Amazon.
• The Crucible development team will begin work on another Amazon game – the open-world MMO PC game "New World" – which is due out for release in 2021.
• Amazon launched its cloud gaming service, Luna, last month.

California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited two Amazon locations for health and safety violations related to COVID-19. A warehouse in Eastvale and a delivery station in Hawthorne, both in Southern California, were fined a total of $1,870 for failing to provide adequate health and safety training that could mitigate the spread of coronavirus, OSHA said.

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• According to the citations, employees were unaware of how to properly sanitize work stations as well as "frequently touched" objects at the locations.
• Earlier this year, labor advocacy group Warehouse Worker Resource Center filed complaints on behalf of employees and called for an investigation into pandemic practices at both sites.
• At the Hawthorne delivery center, workers weren't told that an employee had died of COVID-19 in March and instead heard the news through media reports, the complaint alleges.
• Amazon said it plans to contest the OSHA findings, saying its training programs "are more than adequate." A spokesperson said California health and safety agencies inspected more than 100 Amazon facilities since March and found that many "went beyond compliance requirements."
• Amazon says 19,816 front-line employees contracted COVID between March 1 and Sept. 19.

Early Prime Day deals

Some Prime Day deals are now live despite the fact that Prime Day 2020 doesn’t officially kick off until midnight PT tomorrow, Oct. 13. Here, we round up some of the top deals online right now:

• Echo Dot (3rd Gen): $39.99 (orig. $49.99)
• Echo Auto and six months of Amazon Music Unlimited free with autorenewal: $19.99 (orig. $49.99)
• Echo Show 5: $44.99 (orig. $89.99)
• Kindle Kids edition essentials bundle: $127.97 (orig. $142.97)...

The Better Business Bureau is warning Amazon customers about a phone scam that's seeking to obtain personal information about their Amazon accounts. The scammers are using a BBB-spoofed phone number and telling consumers they have a problem with their accounts.

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• A recorded message tells users they have a fraudulent charge on their Prime card, a lost or damaged package, or an unfulfilled iPhone 10 order.
• Victims are asked for their credit card and account login details, or remote access to their computers under the guise of helping to solve the problem.
• The BBB says to ignore any requests for personal information and to report questionable calls to Amazon customer service.
• Amazon says it will never send unsolicited messages seeking personal information, remote device access, or payments outside of its website.

QUICK HITS

• Amazon’s Prime Day is expected to generate around $10b in revenue, up 30% from last year, according to eMarketer. 
• Amazon's early Black Friday deals are expected to start on Oct. 26, with sales likely to last through Nov. 19. 
• Amazon has begun hiring more than 2,000 workers for its Nampa, Idaho distribution center.
• Amazon showed off its electric delivery van, created in partnership with Rivian.
• Fluid, a truck rental service, ordered hundreds of trucks it will retrofit to be electrified. Fluid’s trucks are commonly used by Amazon contractors who deliver packages for the company.
• As Apple device adoption grows in the enterprise, organizations are looking for ways to seamlessly manage and secure devices while extending the world-class Apple experience users expect.*

*This is sponsored content.