The Open Beta for Amazon's upcoming MMORPG, New World, recently came to a close. While it was generally well-received, many fans of the genre wonder if there is room for New World, given how established many MMORPGs are after several years. Even though Amazon is one of the biggest corporations in the world right now, its video game division, Amazon Games, does not have the best track record so far. The studio has released and canceled a small handful of games such as Crucible to middling and negative reviews. As a result, Amazon Games is attempting to ensure New World does not fail like its previous titles.
More than two decades ago, Blizzard effectively established the MMORPG genre with World of Warcraft, and since then there have been many other games in the genre. Not all of them were successful, but as of right now there are a few mainstays such as The Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and of course, World of Warcraft. There are also always more MMORPGs on the horizon. In such a unique genre where its games are supported for upwards of a decade, it's extremely difficult to establish an entirely new title with a brand new IP. New World is attempting to do exactly that and with the cash-flow from Amazon, as well as community hype, it has a real shot at carving out a corner of the MMORPG landscape.
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What's Different About New World?
The single largest aspect that sets New World apart from other games in the genre is its gameplay. Instead of traditional auto-lock and targeting skills like in World of Warcraft, New World seems to put much more of an emphasis on action and requires steady aiming from the player. This action-focused gameplay comes together with the PvE and large-scale PvP content for the possibility to create some truly thrilling moments. Players can also join one of three factions and fight over key strategic areas within the world of Aeternum, like World of Warcraft's Alliance and Horde. This will further create a sense of community within players which is largely cited as a key aspect for why MMORPGs remain so popular years after their release.
However, there appear to be some emerging issues present within the game. During last month's closed beta, it was reported that many high-end GPUs became unusable after running the game. While this is a tech issue, it is still concerning. Other players have taken issue with the game's narrative, or what has been played of it so far. For some players, New World's focus on the exploration and colonization of the island Aeternum might be enough to excuse a less-than-stellar narrative. New World certainly does not seem to be as story-focused as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn which definitely helps to set it apart from other MMORPGs. Additionally, New World will follow a buy-to-play model so there will be no subscription service whatsoever, but the game will possess an in-game store for cosmetics and small character boosts.
The many delays and opportunities to play early seem to indicate that Amazon is working incredibly hard to ensure that New World is a success after the likes of Crucible. As a result, the developers have implemented many fan-requested changes such as independent cooldown bars for each weapon instead of a shared cooldown. New World sets itself apart from other games in the genre through its skill-based combat, focus on community interaction, and payment structure. Every successful MMORPG does each of these things in different ways, and it appears that New World is attempting to follow that trend. Whether everything pans out for Amazon Games and it has its first successful launch remains to be seen, but signs are pointing towards it being a popular choice for fans of the genre.
New World is launching on September 28, 2021 for PC.