New World has seen its last content update, with Amazon Games confirming their development of the MMO is winding down. The game’s servers will be staying online in the short term. This news follows mass layoffs at Amazon, with over 14,000 roles reportedly being affected across the company and the gaming division seeing “significant” cuts.
These layoffs were initially reported by Bloomberg. Amazon haven’t confirmed exactly how many staff in its video game arm have been affected by the layoffs, though New World developers Amazon Games Orange County have seen “significant” cuts.
What has been made 100% clear by Amazon vice president of audio, Twitch and games Steve Boom is that these layoffs are seeing the company move away from heavy investment into MMOs, with recently re-launched cloud service Amazon Luna being doubled down on. The company will plough on with some of the other games it’s got in the works or is publishing, such as a new Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics, strategy game March of the Giants, and an unannounced racer from Maverick Games.
That brings us to New World and a news post published by Amazon Games late yesterday. “After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates,” it reads. “The recently launched Season 10 and Nighthaven update will serve as the final content release for New World on PC and consoles.”
While it won’t be getting any more additions alongside essential bug fixes, the MMO won’t disappear overnight. Amazon Games plan to keep its servers running “through 2026” and say they’ll provide at least six months notice before making any changes that render the game unplayable. In the meantime, New World’s Nighthaven and Rise of the Angry Earth updates are being dished out for free on PC. You can also still buy and use in-game currency like Marks of Fortune for the moment, but no refunds’ll be offered on any you’ve already bought.
“Players of Aeternum: Your dedication and enthusiasm have made this New World adventure an unforgettable journey,” the post concludes. “We’re deeply grateful for every moment you’ve spent helping build this extraordinary world alongside us. It has been an honor to share Aeternum with you, thank you for helping make this game something truly special.”
Solidarity to everyone affected by Amazon’s mass layoffs.
