diff --git a/Code/LauncherUnified/CMakeLists.txt b/Code/LauncherUnified/CMakeLists.txt
index 0d056686b8..2cd53bdb41 100644
--- a/Code/LauncherUnified/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Code/LauncherUnified/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -73,6 +73,21 @@ foreach(project_name project_path IN ZIP_LISTS LY_PROJECTS_TARGET_NAME LY_PROJEC
     # If the project_path is relative, it is evaluated relative to the ${LY_ROOT_FOLDER}
     # Otherwise the the absolute project_path is returned with symlinks resolved
     file(REAL_PATH ${project_path} project_real_path BASE_DIRECTORY ${LY_ROOT_FOLDER})
+    if(NOT project_name)
+        if(NOT EXISTS ${project_real_path}/project.json)
+            message(FATAL_ERROR "The specified project path of ${project_real_path} does not contain a project.json file with a \"project name\" entry in it")
+        else()
+            # Add the project_name to global LY_PROJECTS_TARGET_NAME property
+            file(READ "${project_real_path}/project.json" project_json)
+            string(JSON project_name ERROR_VARIABLE json_error GET ${project_json} "project_name")
+            if(json_error)
+                message(FATAL_ERROR "There is an error reading the \"project_name\" key from the '${project_real_path}/project.json' file: ${json_error}")
+            endif()
+            message(WARNING "The project located at path ${project_real_path} has a valid \"project name\" of '${project_name}' read from it's project.json file."
+                " This indicates that the ${project_real_path}/CMakeLists.txt is not properly appending the \"project name\" "
+                "to the LY_PROJECTS_TARGET_NAME global property. Other configuration errors might occur")
+        endif()
+    endif()
     ################################################################################
     # Monolithic game
     ################################################################################
diff --git a/Templates/DefaultProject/Template/CMakeLists.txt b/Templates/DefaultProject/Template/CMakeLists.txt
index 24b229d05b..c314f0da5c 100644
--- a/Templates/DefaultProject/Template/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Templates/DefaultProject/Template/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ else()
     file(READ "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/project.json" project_json)
 
     string(JSON project_target_name ERROR_VARIABLE json_error GET ${project_json} "project_name")
-    if(${json_error})
+    if(json_error)
         message(FATAL_ERROR "Unable to read key 'project_name' from 'project.json'")
     endif()