Quick Take
- Amazon ends New World Aeternum support amid widespread layoffs.
- Servers stay online until January 31, 2027, with no new content.
- Player progress vanishes, contrasting with Web3 asset ownership.
Amazon Games announced the end operations for New World Aeternum, marking the close of a turbulent chapter for the open-world MMORPG that once drew massive crowds. The studio posted the news on its official site, explaining that after steady expansions and a console relaunch, maintaining fresh updates had become financially unfeasible. Players who bought the game keep access until the final date, but the announcement arrived alongside reports of deep cuts across the company.
The game first hit PC in 2021, pulling in over 900,000 concurrent users at its peak with promises of vast exploration and faction battles on the island of Aeternum. Early bugs and balance issues drove many away, yet the team pushed through with seasons of content that rebuilt some trust. The 2024 Aeternum rebrand brought it to consoles, injecting new life through cross-play and refined combat, but player numbers hovered below expectations. Now, with the Nighthaven season extended as the last hurrah, the studio shifts focus away from in-house MMOs entirely.
Behind the decision sat broader troubles at Amazon, where executives slashed 14,000 roles to streamline costs, hitting the games division hard. Reports detailed a pivot from ambitious titles like this one, as the parent company doubled down on efficiency over expansion in gaming.
As Amazon steps back, the incident prompts questions about longevity in an industry chasing sustainability.
