The well-known Twitch streamer shroud has New World tried and recorded his opinion in a video. There he says that New World could surpass well-known games like World of Warcraft because it has one advantage: It also targets players who typically don’t like MMORPGs.
What is currently happening with New World?
- On July 20, New World launched into Closed Beta. Pre-order customers and players with a beta key can already explore the game world Aeternum.
- Right at the start, New World excited over 180,000 players simultaneously on Steam and over the weekend, the game even surpassed the 200,000 mark (via SteamDB).
- New World is also a success on Twitch, achieving 4th place in the most popular categories over the last 7 days, right behind LoL, GTA 5, and Just Chatting (via sullygnome). Consequently, many streamers are also sharing their thoughts on New World. One of the largest, shroud, even sees the potential to surpass the biggest MMORPGs.
New World targets casuals and players who don’t like MMOs
How does shroud explain his opinion? Shroud sees the strength of New World mainly in that it is not a traditional MMORPG:
[New World] is a unique MMO. It doesn’t offer the traditional experience with a “Holy Trinity” system and a huge skill bar. Rather, it offers a slow, tactical action combat system.
Shroud in the video from minute 2:17
He further explains that New World could appeal to new target groups that WoW and other titles do not reach:
What the game does really well is that it differs so much from traditional MMOs that I believe that players who don’t like MMOs might actually enjoy the game. It caters more to casual players.
Many people play survival games and adventure games, but MMOs are daunting for them. The game is already doing well to appeal to the casual audience.
Shroud in the video from minute 6:55
However, shroud does not believe that it will only have casual players, but sees a chance that all MMO fans will find what they are looking for:
You can just sit there, chop down trees, farm nodes, craft and fish. You don’t even have to kill anything. Everyone has their own unique way of playing. It actually has really good PvP, as far as I’ve seen so far.
Shroud in the video from minute 6:10
Does shroud find everything in New World good? No, in his video he also expresses criticism. He wishes for a greater variety of weapons and hopes that Amazon will pay more attention to the game’s balance.
He also has a bit of feedback regarding the areas:
It would be cool if there were more recommended level locations in each zone, instead of each zone following a “Level 6, Level 9, Level 12” formula. This causes many players to gather at the same location.
Shroud in the video from minute 6:43
New World comes at a time when WoW is struggling with issues
What is currently happening with WoW? Many players are currently losing interest in WoW. The latest patch 9.1 came later than expected and also failed to retain many players in the long term. Major WoW streamers like Asmongold have therefore tried other MMORPGs.
Especially Final Fantasy XIV is currently providing a refuge for WoW players. While some other MMORPGs are struggling with a summer lull, FFXIV is enjoying the greatest popularity in the West. This has even resulted in queues for which the game’s director has now apologised.
However, a brand new title with a unique gameplay system could pull away many more players from the old MMORPG than FFXIV has. shroud, who plays WoW repeatedly, will extensively play New World at release, as he reveals in the video.
In addition to the general exodus of WoW players, Blizzard is currently grappling with a scandal that is also expected to negatively impact the development of the MMORPG:
Work on WoW is currently stalled – developers are “too angry and traumatized”
