There is much concern in the MMORPG industry following the demise of New World and the shift away from the MMORPG genre. Now, the LoL-MMORPG could become the savior of jobs.
What is the status of New World? Following the announcement that Amazon would be laying off 14,000 employees in office jobs, it became clear that Amazon Games is primarily affected in the MMORPG and multiplayer sector.
Shortly thereafter, New World announced that the celebrated Season 10 will be the last content update for the MMORPG and that they plan to continue operating it until at least December 31, 2026. This means layoffs for the developers and a need to find new jobs within 90 days. Ironically, the Riot MMORPG might now help.
Riot’s CEO wants to save jobs
What does the Riot MMORPG have to do with this? Marc Merrill, co-founder and co-CEO of Riot, commented on X.com after the bad news broke at Amazon Games Studios. He responded to another user asking whether the talented developers could be recruited for the LoL-MMORPG, of which he is essentially the boss of the boss.
Merrill responded in a separate post. He explained that Riot Games is always looking for “S-tier talents” and is eager to hire employees. Therefore, he posed the open question of who the “star developers” of the teams are.
These would be needed to solve the “toughest challenges and problems” faced by the most dedicated players. Whether the LoL-MMORPG will indeed hire developers from New World and might even benefit from the demise of the MMORPG remains unclear.
How is the industry reacting? Other industry leaders have also commented on the demise of New World and the layoffs. Former WoW chief Greg Street, who is currently struggling for funding for his MMORPG, expressed his sympathy for the employees who kept the dream of an MMO alive (via X.com).
Similarly, Steven Sharif, the CEO of Ashes of Creation, took time to post about the layoffs on X.com. He also expresses his condolences to the employees of Amazon Games but takes the opportunity to analyze the industry.
He explains, among other things, that it is very difficult to create an MMORPG while players criticize quickly and harshly. However, MMORPGs are only made possible by people who believe in a project and want to make it successful.
For him, the MMORPG industry is currently in a bad state. Besides Amazon, Zenimax and Netease have also halted their MMORPG developments, which is particularly straining the western market.
For the industry, the developments in 2025, which culminate in the demise of New World, are not good signs. For the employees, there is only hope that the remaining giants will create at least some jobs. And who knows, maybe the LoL-MMORPG will suddenly bring the best lumberjack mechanics since New World. Amazon wanted to be a big player in games – The end of New World completes a sad story of failure
