Amazon Games’ hasn’t exactly seen much fruits of its development labor thus far, but that will change next May with the release of its MMO New World. The news was revealed during The Game Awards on December 12, and it represents the biggest step yet for an Amazon venture that has remained surprisingly underground since its inception several years ago.
New World is set during the 17th century in the Age of Exploration, with magical and haunted elements on an island called Aeternum. You’ll go up against enemies on the island, including fellow players as well as the local “legions,” and you’ll have the opportunity to craft your experience as you see fit.
Amazon Games is building New World as a large-scale adventure with enormous battles between players, and there will be up to 100 players fighting at once in special fortress siege battles. You will not be using MMO-style combat like we see in games such as World of Warcraft, but something that offers a little more direct control, and both solo and team-oriented players will be able to forge a path and thrive in the game. Despite taking a new approach to the genre, the game’s development team is made up of veterans from several online games, including World of Warcraft and Everquest.
“Our team has been working tirelessly to create a deep, immersive world that delivers challenges and surprises at every turn, and we’re so excited to reveal a bit more of it today,” Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said in the announcement.
New World will release in May 2020, with a beta taking place in April. You can pre-order the game through its official website, and those who pre-order will be given access to the beta as well as a special amulet, emote, guild crest set, and unique Expedition One title. It’s launching via Steam, so it appears any potentially rumored streaming service Amazon is planning to launch will not be ready before the game’s release date. We previously spoke to the game’s creators about how it’s making use of Amazon’s cloud services to aid in development and scale. A Lord of the Rings online game is also in the works.
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