Don't know if cancelled is the correct term for ending something that was active but it's the first thing that came to mind.
The news of Amazons New World: Aeternum MMO really saddened me. The game had a great content expansion with huge changes recently that affected current meta states and allowed the players more freedom than ever to experiment with gear and loadout themes. Player numbers hadn't been this high since launch with queue times during peak hours being in the thousands and simmering to the hundreds in the early evening. New World had hit a good stride and I was eager to see more content from the 2025/26 road map the team at Amazon Game Studios shared with the community...
Then only a few weeks after this, IMO, successful showcase of what New World could truly offer, the news hits that the game is being shutdown and all of the staff related to Amazons MMO ventures have been let go. games being shut down has been a recent trend in the last few years but I wasn't expecting such a thing to happen to New World. The news didn't make sense and the reasons eventually given for New Worlds imminent shut down weren't substantial(AI). The game was successful on launch, had a rough transition, but the newest iteration of the development team had proven their worth and seemed to have a set goal to meet for both the players and the game itself within clear view.
Players took to gathering outside the Windsward settlement upon the announcement of the news to both show that the community is active and also to mourn and accept that the game they've enjoyed playing for years is coming to a (probable) end.
Players on the hill
Players gathered to emote, dance, communicate, and enjoy a moment of New World together
The view from the hill. Many player camps with a variety of skins setup
Me doing a facepalm emote at the disheartening news of New World shutting down. Little emotional but felt it appropriate at the time of capturing the photo
--And now my thoughts and wordy blog post!--
I am stuck in a gaming rut now because of this predicament. New World offered me a game setting that fit a unique role in my library. Open world, action combat, PVP, Crafting, fishing, interesting lore and locations, and so much more! Now that its going away I look at my current game list and realize that there is a void that cannot be filled by current games. Current MMOs are either lacking, in development, don't have enough of a playerbase, or don't offer me as many options as what New World had.
I also feel the sting of betrayal, what if I spend all this time in a 'fresh' MMO only for it to be shut down because it didn't meet some overlords overly heightened criteria of success? If a game from a big studio backing it couldn't be saved from shut down than what would the guarantee be for these MMOs that are already lacking in those departments?
It seems the most reliable option would be older MMORPGs as they've stood the test of time, have a strong community backing it, and still have a level of both major and minor content being added. I already play a few of them but it was just to explore the worlds and test out some concepts I've worked on to see if it could work.
I know New World is still 'active' but the sense and feeling of dread encompass my actions because I know that in a few months it will be wiped from the servers. It's ridiculous and my searches for recent games that feature similar options/freedom are just not looking fun to play. There are also many reports of mass corruption from developers on a lot of the newer MMOs that don't motivate me to want to participate with the game.
So amidst the shut down and removal of one MMO I actually enjoyed exploring, playing, and sharing with others I find myself stuck between being stuck waiting for MMOs in development that look 'hopeful' in regards of things to do or looking back to the past and once again participating in older MMOs that have long since hit their stride but are still moving despite the age.
I have stated that I think MMOs are unique in that they offer players a chance to get sucked into a world that isn't 'natural' in a sense. Despite all the 1950s sci-fi movies and books having high expectations of man, mankind has not reached the stars to a degree that a space MMO offers. magic displays in real life are somewhat tame compared to what a fantasy world can exhibit, MMOs offer a player a chance to jump into a world far beyond the current world in terms of setting and ability with others taking part at the same time. Being in view of that is quite thrilling sometimes.
It could be the happenstance of coming across a player in need of aid about to perish from a rare mob, having a conversation with others from across the globe while crafting a piece of gear, or just sitting by the water with a fishing pole and observing all sorts of players and their modes of travel while they go to their destination. The fun thing about an MMO compared to a single player RPG is that there are others nearby doing their own thing. Participation is not required, though the MMO will certainly include elements that do require interacting with eachother, but there is plenty to do for a solo player. There is always new content being made and while there are 'caps' on ever part of the game there will always be an update or release that nudges the cap just a bit more so there is always something to work towards.
New World was a game I enjoyed playing that featured many of these things and more but didn't have me focus on just one thing but gave me the opportunity to freely switch my crafting, gear, and plalystyles at anytime with little hinderance to my gametime. With its shut down there will be a void in my game time activities.
Looking at what is available from the past:
Runescape was a game I've played before back in 2008 and had once compared New World to it but nowadays to even look up a video on skills and things to do in that game (Both RS3 & OSRS) just doesn't look fun. Min/maxing time + skill, knowing where exact gear is to optimize a 'run', having timers, addons, knowing the exact click/tic rate, etc. It sounds like a job. The skills themselves, while vast, have lost much of their charm with the removal of random events and decreased chances of acquiring odd items.
Lord of the Rings online has been a game I've played recently on and off to work on my AI Avatar concept just to see if I could stream an AI Avatar that could respond in real time to events but the servers suffer from heavy lag spikes but while the community is sturdy and wide there seems to be a sense of longing for better times. Much like the world of Lord of the Rings, hope is constantly needing to be kindled by brave individuals to keep the game alive and well.
EvE Online sort of fills this unique niche I am looking for but a solo MMO player like myself cannot be whimsical and has to stay true to one profession / style of play to get enough resources before I can try another profession. It's close to a job at that point as well.
Looking at what is available recently or in the near future:
Many new MMOs are asian developed and feel/look very same-y and the worlds don't look interesting enough to bother creating in because these MMOs are driven by greed and consumption of the players money/wallet. That doesn't create a very solid world and instead is a shallow gaming experience.
Other MMOs that are available like Pax Dei, Mortal Online (2), and whatever else have reports of mass corruption from previous players, uncompleted/alpha gameplay, and are too grounded to reality to make a difference.
There are also 'Mobile' MMOs that are populated by bots and gold sellers. It's ridiculous to participate in a community while having to wade through all that dreck.
Is there hope for a massive multiplayer online game that can fill this odd shaped hole New World is leaving me with?
---As an aside---
For the Web3/blockchain side of this conversation, I've constantly been in search of an MMO / gaming dApp that has a satisfying gameplay loop but many of them have either shut down, have been overhyped/over promised, are on blockchains that have too outrageous of a gas fee or the blockchains are too complex to even participate with, are still in development, and don't offer much for creation.
I am a very picky creator. I don't like the idea of publishing daily/weekly/monthly reports because it is boring, not interesting to read, and generally is, IMO, a self-jerk. I like to make creations that explore the depth of a gaming concept or showcase a type of playstyle that many players don't experience or highlight. Blockchain games, from my perspective, don't offer that. I'll happily accept being proven wrong but current dApps don't seem interesting to others unless they are actively involved with the dApp.
I like for my creations to be generally approachable even if a viewer doesn't play the game because I am often exploring a concept or theme within the game (I think!).
---Ending---
Anyway. That's how I feel about the news of New World shutting down. It's sad, leaves me in a gaming situation I will have to deal with for my creative self, and leaves a space that cannot be easily filled unless I hard commit to an older game.
I spent an hour and 20 minutes writing this out on the day of the announcement to sort my feelings and thoughts out. Maybe Amazon will reverse their decision as the New World community continues to speak out but that is a long shot (Always happy to be proven wrong though!). Once New World officially shuts down, I and many others will be without an outlet and I've found that it is better to find something to do before that becomes an issue. Hopefully an answer reveals itself soon!
Staying optimistic despite harsh times, both in real life situations and gaming events, has always kept me up and about and it feels like I'll need to be doubly optimistic for myself and the New World Community as the days go on towards the shut down.
Thank you for reading!