Amazon Games is ending active MMO development New World: Eternal four years after graduation.
Announced yesterday via game official websiteAmazon says it has reached a point where it is “no longer possible to continue to support the game with new content updates.” This follows from yesterday's news that Amazon is laying off 14,000 employees, including many game developers such as those working on New World: Eternal.
Specifically, the recently released Season 10 and the Nighthaven update, released on October 13th, will be the final content release for the game. New World on PC and consoles. The team has made the Nighthaven update free for all players, as well as Rise of the Angry Earth extension.
Amazon intends to keep its servers operational until 2026. New World will still be available to download for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members and will continue to be available for digital purchase.
The team plans to provide more details about when the game will shut down in the coming months, committing to provide “a minimum of six months' notice” before making any changes that will impact players' ability to play. New World. In the meantime, the developers intend to continue to provide bug fixes, as well as world bosses, bonus weeks, and some seasonal events, although there will be no more holiday events.
“Your dedication and enthusiasm made it New World An adventure and an unforgettable journey,” the ad ends. “We are deeply grateful for every minute you spent helping build this extraordinary world with us.”
Amazon is laying off about 14,000 people, including employees in its video games division.
The same week that Amazon announced new plans for New Worldthe company also confirmed plans to cut about 14,000 people within its corporate workforce. This also includes employees of the video games division.
Following reports earlier in the week, Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people and technology at Amazon, confirmed the news in a message to employees (later posted on Amazon website). In the release, Galetti said the goal is to further cut bureaucracy, eliminate layers and reallocate resources so that Amazon “invests in our biggest bets and in what matters most to our customers' current and future needs.”
Regarding the future of the division, the company has reportedly shared internal insights on its goals and aspirations for the gaming business. In a memo to employees on Tuesday, which was obtained by VarietyThe company said the staff cuts indicate a broader shift in strategy within its gaming division.
Steve Boom, Amazon's vice president of audio, Twitch and gaming, reportedly said the company has made the “difficult decision to halt a significant portion of our in-house AAA game development work,” particularly in the MMO space, within Amazon Game Studios. According to the memo, this has led to “significant role reductions” at Amazon's Irvine and San Diego studios, as well as its central publishing team.
At the time of writing, Amazon Games is still the publisher of the MMO. Throne and freedom (released a year ago) and Lost Ark (released three years ago). Within October update published two weeks ago, Amazon has highlighted the platformer for co-op play King of meat which the company published on October 7. There was also news about March of the Giants an upcoming free-to-play MOBA game that the company announced back in August, saying it had recently conducted closed alpha testing. The MOBA will be the debut game from Amazon Games Studios Montreal.
According to Boom's note, Amazing plans to continue working with the studio's external partners. This includes Crystal Dynamics and its upcoming tomb Raider game, even after the Embracer-owned developer was subjected to third round of layoffs in August from 2023. (The last round of layoffs was as reported caused by Microsoft failure Perfect darknesswhich Crystal Dynamics developed together with Initiative.)
Elsewhere, Boom also reportedly mentioned Maverick Games, which is working on an open-world racing game, as well as Studio 5, the team behind the AI-driven game Luna. Chaos in the Courtroom: Starring Snoop Dogg. According to Boom, Studio 5 will “continue to focus on more casual AI-focused games” despite its generative AI tools. increasingly breeds skepticism among professional game developers.
