At this year’s Game Awards—the one where Microsoft finally revealed its new Xbox Series X—gamers were treated to a teaser of Amazon’s New World massively multiplayer online game (MMO), which showcased the game’s haunting landscapes, demonic baddies, and eye-flaming sorcery. Now, we’ve learned of a handful of new details about the incoming MMO, including a release date of sometime in May 2020, and a beta testing period that will begin in April. And while only extremely limited gameplay footage has been made available so far, there’s a lot here that looks promising.
The trailer for Amazon’s New World MMO.
Engadget reported on the New World news, noting that the game has been in development for more than three years, and aims to deliver massive battles with NPC enemies, as well as with other players. The New World website summarizes the game as “an Open World MMO set on the fictional and supernatural island of Aeternum in the 17th century,” although multiple outlets have pointed out a parallel between the game’s overarching story and real-life European imperialism. Engadget even speculates that the game’s undead creatures could be considered “a stand-in for indigenous peoples.”
You explore the nearby Outpost and meet other adventurers. They are impressed by your tales of hardship and triumph.
Two come forward to invite you to join their Companies. pic.twitter.com/Yc7Sd4nRwU
— New World (@playnewworld) January 17, 2019
Speculation regarding the game’s inspiration and social commentary aside, New World looks somewhat like other MMOs we’ve seen and played in the past, including, of course, World of Warcraft. New World looks far less cartoonish than WoW, however, and seems like it’s going to deliver a watered-down version of the brutality and gore that’s on display in something like The Witcher. We say “watered-down” because New World has an ESRB rating of “Teen,” while The Witcher is “Mature.” Check out the clip below between player and undead NPC for a (very limited) sense of the kind of savagery that New World will deliver.
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In terms of gameplay details, one of the biggest highlights is the jettisoning of classes. The official site notes that “Players can play and progress how they want… [and] can create builds customized to their preference through our Weapon Mastery, Attributes, and Endless Tradeskill Progression systems.” There will also be multiple servers available upon launch, with each one allowing for 1,000 players; the ability to use local, in-game voice channels; player housing and in-game pets, as well as the ability to buy “optional in-game items” with IRL cash.
Some Outposts in Aeternum are cheerier than others.
Would you stop, drop, and open up shop here? ? pic.twitter.com/DA4Q4FpkZd
— New World (@playnewworld) March 21, 2019
New World will only be available on PC, and will require a Steam account—although no Amazon account is necessary. Two versions of the game will be released simultaneously, a standard version for $39.99 and a deluxe version for $49.99. The latter will come with exclusive bonuses such as special armors and skins, a digital art book, unique character emotes, and a Mastiff house pet.
What do you think about Amazon’s incoming New World MMO? Do you think it will be just as successful as something like World of Warcraft, or will the tech giant need more experience in building online games before it can deliver a real home run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Images: Amazon Game Studios
