Since the end of the alpha in June 2019, there has been complete silence around New World. Now the game is returning with a countdown. We take a look at where Amazon’s MMO stands at the end of 2019 and where the journey might lead.
Update December 13: In the meantime, we know what was behind the countdown and how New World will proceed. A release is already planned for May 2020. You can find more information about the MMO here.
What is New World? The sandbox MMO from Amazon takes place in a fictional world inspired by the colonization of America in the 17th century. In the New World, players encounter many dangers and other settlers, making survival elements and PvP play a significant role.
In New World, you can:
- Gather, craft, and trade resources
- Organize in guilds
- Build, conquer, and defend fortresses
- Explore the game world and encounter rare creatures
So, if you have a penchant for PvP, enjoy organizing in guilds and fighting for fortresses, and also like your sandbox elements, you could find a new home in New World.
How did New World fare? When the first alpha of New World ended in June, some players commented on the MMO, even though it was actually under an NDA.
Players particularly praised:
- The fundamentals of the game
- The graphics
- The developers’ willingness to receive feedback
- The performance
Criticism was directed at the too-slow combat system and the strong influence large guilds had in the game.
Long silence caused fears
What happened after the alpha? After the alpha, it was officially stated that extensive changes would be made to New World. The MMO was not to return until after these changes. Then it fell silent.
In September 2019, all videos of New World were deleted on YouTube. We were confirmed upon inquiry that the MMO is still being worked on, but players feared that New World might never go live.
The reason for the speculation is the experiences with Amazon’s first game: Breakaway. This was playable at Gamescom 2017, then taken offline for revision, and shut down in April 2018:
Additionally, in June during E3, dozens of employees from Amazon’s gaming division were laid off. Officially, the restructuring was supposed to benefit the games New World and Crucible. Whether this actually happened, we do not know.
In July, a new Lord of the Rings MMO was announced, which developers from New World were also supposed to work on. From the players’ perspective, this is another setback for the survival MMO.
However, there is hope again after several days.
What’s happening currently? There is life again on New World’s Facebook account. In addition to a change of the cover photo, there is currently also a countdown.
The day before yesterday, a teaser video focusing on a tree was released. This tree has a “V” on it. Yesterday, a second video was shared, featuring a tree and “IV” on it. The videos are counting down the days in Roman numerals.
According to this principle, a special event is expected on Thursday, December 12.
What else has happened? Amazon has recruited the former German community manager of World of Warcraft, Marc Klang, for the gaming sector.
He will be part of Amazon’s community team and could thus also oversee New World in the future.
Possible start of a beta?
What is the current situation at Amazon? So far, Amazon has been rather reserved with major announcements regarding New World.
Although information such as info about the weapon sets or beautiful locations in the game have repeatedly been shared on social media, a beta has never been talked about.
The developers revealed in an interview that, thanks to Amazon, they don’t feel significant financial pressure. They can take their time with development and plan New World for the next 10 years.
This is a big advantage compared to other MMOs and meant that extensive marketing did not have to be done beforehand.
What happens at the end of the countdown? That New World is now coming back with a countdown is somewhat surprising. On Thursday, we can therefore expect a bigger announcement. Possible outcomes could be:
- An overview of the changes made to New World.
- The start of a second alpha phase
- A beta that more players can participate in this time
Whatever it turns out to be in the end, we will report on it on MeinMMO.
