diff --git a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/ActorAsset.cpp b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/ActorAsset.cpp
index d0b24cb203..518db289e2 100644
--- a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/ActorAsset.cpp
+++ b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/ActorAsset.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ namespace EMotionFX
                 &actorSettings,
                 "");
 
+            assetData->ReleaseEMotionFXData();
+
             if (!assetData->m_emfxActor)
             {
                 AZ_Error("EMotionFX", false, "Failed to initialize actor asset %s", asset.ToString<AZStd::string>().c_str());
@@ -77,7 +79,6 @@ namespace EMotionFX
             assetData->m_emfxActor->SetIsOwnedByRuntime(true);
 
             // Note: Render actor depends on the mesh asset, so we need to manually create it after mesh asset has been loaded.
-
             return static_cast<bool>(assetData->m_emfxActor);
         }
 
diff --git a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AnimGraphAsset.cpp b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AnimGraphAsset.cpp
index 82bb487d2e..a8b9746789 100644
--- a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AnimGraphAsset.cpp
+++ b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AnimGraphAsset.cpp
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ namespace EMotionFX
                 }
             }
 
+            assetData->ReleaseEMotionFXData();
             AZ_Error("EMotionFX", assetData->m_emfxAnimGraph, "Failed to initialize anim graph asset %s", asset.GetHint().c_str());
             return static_cast<bool>(assetData->m_emfxAnimGraph);
         }
diff --git a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AssetCommon.h b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AssetCommon.h
index 2936076258..ca0f6d996d 100644
--- a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AssetCommon.h
+++ b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/AssetCommon.h
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ namespace EMotionFX
                 : AZ::Data::AssetData(id)
             {}
 
+            void ReleaseEMotionFXData()
+            {
+                m_emfxNativeData.clear();
+                m_emfxNativeData.shrink_to_fit();
+            }
+
             AZStd::vector<AZ::u8> m_emfxNativeData;
         };
 
diff --git a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionAsset.cpp b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionAsset.cpp
index 6bcc572ec6..2d95066b13 100644
--- a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionAsset.cpp
+++ b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionAsset.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ namespace EMotionFX
                 assetData->m_emfxMotion->SetIsOwnedByRuntime(true);
             }
 
+            assetData->ReleaseEMotionFXData();
             AZ_Error("EMotionFX", assetData->m_emfxMotion, "Failed to initialize motion asset %s", asset.GetHint().c_str());
             return (assetData->m_emfxMotion);
         }
diff --git a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionSetAsset.cpp b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionSetAsset.cpp
index f437cea256..a49dd95986 100644
--- a/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionSetAsset.cpp
+++ b/Gems/EMotionFX/Code/Source/Integration/Assets/MotionSetAsset.cpp
@@ -232,6 +232,7 @@ namespace EMotionFX
             // Set motion set's motion load callback, so if EMotion FX queries back for a motion,
             // we can pull the one managed through an AZ::Asset.
             assetData->m_emfxMotionSet->SetCallback(aznew CustomMotionSetCallback(asset));
+            assetData->ReleaseEMotionFXData();
 
             return true;
         }