With Netflix more than ready to break the bank in order to secure the best content available, it would not be surprising if Amazon forgoes the audience approval and goes straight to series if they like what they see in these pilots.
That said, the public announcement that a pilot has been ordered may indicate that even though Amazon said that, they may still plan to keep these projects on hold so that the public can see them first.
Whether or not Upload or Making Friends will make it to Amazon’s much-hyped pilot season remains to be seen, as Vice-President of Amazon Studios Roy Price indicated a couple weeks ago the company would like to see more top tier talent land on the service as opposed to Netflix.