Instead of letting New World die, there is surprisingly a purchase offer for the MMORPG, and the man behind it is no stranger.
Which MMORPG is it about? On the evening of January 15, 2026, the developers of New World scheduled the end of their MMORPG. Previously, it had already been clear that the game would no longer receive updates and would be shut down at a later date, while the exact date was still unknown.
With the announcement from the developers, it is clear: New World will be shut down on January 31, 2027. What to consider until then has already been extensively covered in another article. However, the shutdown could still be stopped, as a new offer could change everything.
More about Amazon’s failure with New World:
25 million for New World
What kind of offer is this? While the MMORPG world discusses the end of New World for the second time, a well-known head of another Steam hit intervenes. Alistair McFarlane is the COO and Company Director of the gaming studio Facepunch, known for the sandbox classic GarrysMod as well as the extremely popular survival game Rust.
According to SteamDB, nearly 250,000 players were playing the survival game simultaneously at peak times in January, which also owes its success to large servers. An employee of the studio reposted the announcement of New World’s shutdown on X.com and wrote: “I tried to get Ali to buy NW for me, but he told me to go to hell.”
However, Alistair “Ali” McFarlane himself actually responded with an offer. He wrote on X.com: “25m, final offer @amazongames”. He added to his post with the comment: “Games should never die.”
Has there been any reaction yet? Whether the purchase offer for the MMORPG is even serious remains unclear. Under the post of the Rust head, many fans hope that Amazon Games really accepts the offer. But they have not yet commented.
Another well-known face also speaks up. Simon “HyPixel”, the head of Hytale, who recently repurchased his sandbox game from Riot, offers his help to the Rust head. He writes on X.com: “If you need tips on buying discontinued games, let me know”.
Interestingly, Simon “HyPixel” also recently offered 25 million for the rescue of Hytale. Whether the offer is just a hint or reality remains unknown.
Can this work? Although the exchange and the offer may indeed exist, selling an MMORPG is unusual and complicated. Very few games have ever been sold, and even fewer MMOs. The chances of an actual sale are therefore slim, but not impossible.
An important factor is that the new owners have the necessary knowledge and financial resources to operate an MMORPG. Alistair McFarlane and his staff have already proven this with the long-term success of their games.
The popularity of New World is evident at the latest with the announcement of the shutdown. Many fans have waited a long time and hoped for improvements. The update that pushed the MMORPG in the right direction was also its last. More about the end of New World is revealed by MeinMMO expert Karsten Scholz: Amazon wanted to be a big player in games – The end of New World completes a sad story of failure
