Amazon Games is ending active development on MMO New World: Aeternum four years after release.
Announced yesterday via the game’s official site, Amazon says that it has reached a point where “it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates.” This follows yesterday’s news that Amazon is laying off 14,000 employees, including many game developers like those working on New World: Aeternum.
Specifically, the recently launched season 10 and Nighthaven update, which launched on October 13, will serve as the final content release for New World on PC and consoles. The team has made the Nighthaven update free for all players, as well as the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion.
Amazon has the intention of keeping servers operating through 2026, and New World will still be available to download for PlayStation Plus members on the Extra and Premium tiers, and it can still be purchased digitally.
The team expects to provide more details about when the game will be sunsetted in the coming months, committing to provide “a minimum of six months’ notice” before making any changes that impact players’ ability to play New World. In the meantime, the devs are committed to continuing to provide bug fixes, as well as world bosses, bonus weeks, and some seasonal events, although there will not be any more holiday events.
“Your dedication and enthusiasm have made this New World adventure an unforgettable journey,” ends the announcement. “We’re deeply grateful for every moment you’ve spent helping build this extraordinary world alongside us.”
Amazon is making approximately 14,000 people redundant, including staff within its video game division
During the same week that Amazon announced the new plans for New World, the company also confirmed plans to make approximately 14,000 people redundant within its corporate workforce. This also includes staff within its video game division.
Following reports at the beginning of the week, Beth Galetti, SVP of people experience and technology at Amazon, confirmed the news in a message to employees (later posted on the Amazon website). In the message, Galetti said that the aim is to further reduce bureaucracy, remove layers, and shift resources to ensure Amazon is “investing in our biggest bets and what matters most to our customers’ current and future needs.”
Regarding the future of the division, the company has reportedly shared insights internally about its goals and aspirations regarding its gaming business. In a memo to staff on Tuesday, which was obtained by Variety, the company said the staff cuts indicate a larger strategy shift within the games division.
Steve Boom, vice president of Amazon audio, Twitch, and games, reportedly said the company has made the “difficult decision to halt a significant amount of our first-party AAA game development work,” specifically around MMOs, within Amazon Game Studios. According to the memo, this has translated to “significant role reductions” in Amazon’s studios in Irvine and San Diego, as well as its central publishing team.
At the time of writing, Amazon Games is still acting as publisher of MMOs Throne and Liberty (released a year ago) and Lost Ark (released three years ago). As part of an October update published two weeks ago, Amazon highlighted co-op party platformer King of Meat, which the company published on October 7. It also included news regarding March of Giants, an upcoming free-to-play MOBA that the company announced back in August, saying that it recently conducted closed alpha testing. The MOBA is set to be the debut title from Amazon Games Studios Montreal.
According to Boom’s memo, Amazing is reportedly planning to continue to work with external studio partners. This includes Crystal Dynamics and its upcoming Tomb Raider game, even after the Embracer-owned developer underwent its third round of layoffs in August since 2023. (The latest round of layoffs was reportedly caused by Microsoft abandoning Perfect Dark, which Crystal Dynamics had been co-developing with The Initiative.)
Elsewhere, Boom reportedly mentioned Maverick Games as well, which is working on an open-world driving game, as well as Studio 5, the team behind Luna’s AI-driven Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg. According to Boom, Studio 5 “will continue their focus on more casual and AI-focused games,” despite generative AI tools increasingly generating skepticism among professional game developers.
