Amazon Games are relatively new to the world of publishing video games, but in New World, they might be onto a potential long term hit.
In a genre with longstanding hits such as Final Fantasy Online, Elder Scrolls Online and World of Warcraft it's not easy launching a brand new MMO, but Amazon's recent closed-beta certainly proved popular with first-time players.
According to Gamesindustry.biz, the game had a healthy 200,000 concurrent players on Steam during the closed-beta. Whilst Chicago-based analytics partner, Rainmaker.gg, calculated that New World racked up roughly 34 million hours watched on Twitch.
Clearly the team at Amazon Game Studios / Double Helix Games have done something right, and with the games full launch just on the horizon, it's likely going to grow even more.
But if you need more convincing as to whether you should jump into the game, here's a quick overview of what to expect from Amazon's exciting new adventure.
So What Is Amazon's New World?
As mentioned previously, New World is very much in the same vein as FFXIV, ESO and WoW.
The game is set on the mysterious island of Aeternum, packed with fantastical beasts, magic and adventure. As players you'll choose to align yourself with one of three distinct factions - The Marauders, The Syndicate and The Covenant - who all continually vie for control of towns and territories across the island.
Fundamentally it's also a classic rags to riches story, as your character's might, skill, and influence grows with every quest you successfully complete across Aeternum.
Naturally, there's the usual assortment of weapon types, skills and more to collect or upgrade as you seek to level up your character from a feeble fledgling of this uncharted territory to a powerful hero of legend known across the land. You can find the full low-down on Character Progression (if you're interested) on this meaty blog post from the dev team.
Of course we're only just scratching the surface of New World, but we wouldn't want to spoil everything for you, that's best left for you to discover when you jump into the game...
What are the different modes, play styles (pve, etc)
Based on what has been shown so far, New World features a fairly robust set of options for both PvE and PvP content. Generally speaking though, it's broken down into roughly 4 different areas, all detailed below:
- Expeditions: 5-player instanced dungeons that take players into the farthest corners and deepest depths of Aeternum, where they’ll face deadly foes and uncover truths about the island.
- War: Epic siege warfare on a massive scale, with up to 100 players on the battlefield at once. The outcome of each war determines which company controls contested territory or settlements—and the resources they contain.
- Outpost Rush: Teams of 20 players from two competing factions fight for control of fortifications and resources in this max-level instanced game mode that combines PvE and PvP play.
- Invasions: Twisted armies of Aeternum muster their forces to assault player-controlled territory, and groups of 50 max-level players rally together to fight of waves of monsters.
When Is Amazon's New World Coming Out?
There's still some work to do, but currently, the plan is for Amazon's New World to launch on September 28 for PC.
Before that, though players interested in exploring everything Aeternum has to offer should check out Twitch, where fans of the game are already uploading their many adventures for everyone to enjoy.