In 2021, excitement swirled around the launch of an ambitious MMO set on a mysterious island teeming with monsters, magic, and endless farming opportunities. Priced at €40, the game quickly attracted over 900,000 players in its initial days. The buzz promised a new era in gaming.
What went wrong?
Maintaining a massively multiplayer online game can often feel akin to caring for a gigantic tamagotchi; neglect it, and it begins to wither. Successful titles like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV have shown the importance of consistent updates and meaningful expansions to keep their communities alive. Unfortunately, New World struggled from the very start.
Despite visually appealing graphics and engaging gameplay, the endgame experience fell short. Once players reached the maximum level, many found themselves with little to do. Coupled with frustrating bugs, inconsistencies in player-versus-player engagements, and questionable mechanisms that leaned towards a “pay-to-win” model, a swift decline in player numbers followed. Within months, most of the initial player base had seemingly evaporated.
The last expansion and final breath
The recently launched expansion, Nighthaven, represented one last effort to revive interest in the game. As a gesture to reel in players, the previous expansion, Rise of the Angry Earth, was even offered at no cost. This tactic yielded a brief resurgence, with player counts peaking at 50,000 again, yet it proved to be merely a fleeting moment of respite.
Amazon Games has made it clear: no new content will be forthcoming. There won’t be new maps, raids, weapons, or even skins. The game has now entered maintenance mode. Although New World remains playable, it has ceased to be available for purchase, and the servers are set to remain active until 2026 at the earliest. A six-month notice will be provided before any definitive shutdown.
Another setback for Amazon Games
The abandonment of New World adds to a growing list of challenges faced by Amazon Games, which has experienced recent layoffs and cancellations of other projects. Although the studio continues to work on certain ventures (including those involving artificial intelligence), the aspiration to conquer the gaming world seems to remain a distant dream.
While the journey of New World might feel like a downbeat conclusion, it wasn’t an utter failure. The game sparked excitement among a community, marked a unique period in gaming, and underscored the fact that launching a successful MMO is one thing; keeping it alive is an entirely different matter.
