Just yesterday, Amazon announced that its four-year-old fantasy MMORPG, New World, will be discontinued, with no further DLC or updates in the pipeline. This news has left many players and game developers disheartened. Among them is John “Bucky” Buckley, the communications director and publishing manager at Pocketpair, who expressed his sentiments in a recent post. He stated, “Very sad to hear about New World,” and humorously added, “That said, if Amazon wants to slip me the files for the 2019 version of the game (the PvP version), then my DMs are open.”
Buckley didn’t stop there; he took the opportunity to commend New World’s sound designer, saying, “Finally, whoever did the sound design on New World deserves everything. What a champ.” He further noted, “They did a bunch of sound design videos on their YouTube, and they are great. You can tell they loved their work, and it shows. Probably some of the best sound design in a game… ever?” The MMO community largely echoes his appreciation.
Community Reactions to New World’s Downfall
Players are lamenting the cancellation of what many considered one of Amazon’s standout releases. A recent post indicates that the just-launched Season 10 and Nighthaven update will be the last content added to the game.
“New World had God-tier sound design and, with time, could have been a legendary game,” remarked one fan in response to the news. Another echoed this feeling, describing the sound design as “next-level stuff.” More comments highlighted aspects of the audio, with one user stating, “Most satisfying wood chopping sound in all of video games,” and another adding, “The sound design in New World is absolutely phenomenal. Those echoes when mining? Chef’s kiss.”
The praise for the game’s audio design is further reflected in reviews on its official Steam page, where players have noted, “The graphics and sound effects are really good, making the game very immersive.” It’s certainly disheartening to see this promising title come to an untimely end.
Fortunately for current players, Amazon plans to maintain the game’s servers through 2026. However, newcomers will sadly be unable to experience the game, as it is no longer available for purchase.
As New World reaches its conclusion, former lead developer from World of Warcraft expressed gratitude toward the developers who worked on it for “trying to keep the MMO dream alive,” as he faces challenges in his own new MMORPG project.