New World is an MMORPG that takes players to the lands of Aeternum where they can claim territory, fight monsters, and explore. Although Amazon has not had the best luck with its past ventures into gaming, it managed to generate quite a lot of hype leading up to the game's release. Following many delays, the game finally launched on September 28, and Amazon found its servers flooded. At its peak, New World had 913, 634 concurrent players, and players were queuing up to begin their adventure.
A few months later, New World's future is looking a little less certain. The player base has steeply shrunk largely due to complaints of glitches, exploits, and a poorly balanced economic system. With its scenic environments and engaging combat, New World certainly has potential, but there are a few things fans want to see that would help improve the weaker aspects of the game. Hopefully, 2022 brings many of the changes gamers have been waiting for.
New World Will Add New Weapons and More in 2022
As an MMO, it is expected that New World will have plenty of updates. Amazon has outlined what its approach to updates will be going forward. In the past, the studio sent out fixes too fast, leading to patches that created further issues. Hence, Amazon will focus on testing updates to ensure they are stable, and it will limit how much each update will try to fix at once. There will also be a balance between "adding new content and fixing things."
Some upcoming changes indicate that Amazon is aware of common complaints and is attempting to address them. In February, players can expect an update focused on balance, tuning, and bug fixes. While this might seem minor, it is an important part of improving the experience of playing the game. Changes are also coming to weapons. New World will be making minor balance updates on popular weapons including the Great Ax, the Rapier, the Fire Staff, and the Ice Gauntlet.
New weapons and shields are also in the works. Although a release date for it has not been given, players will be able to wield a Blunderbuss soon. While a Musket is slow and better suited to strategic play, the Blunderbuss is an explosive instrument of mayhem. Developers are also working on Daggers and the Great Sword, a weapon focused on stance switching.
New World News, Surprises, and General Expectations for 2022
There are a few unconfirmed surprises that Amazon could throw at fans in 2022. One is a long-requested feature - mounts. Scot Lane, who is New World's game director, has stated that while there are no immediate plans to add mounts, they may be included should the world grow large enough. The inclusion of mounts in 2022 could go a long way to reeling back in fans who have abandoned the game.
It also seems like the studio is looking to improve the quality of Expeditions. New World's open world lead Phil Bolus admitted that Expeditions can sometimes feel like they are not worth it. Changes have come in the form of the December update which gives more opportunity for players to earn Expertise from Expeditions, though Bolus states that there is "definitely work that needs to be done." Hopefully, gamers will see the fruits of that work throughout 2022.
The developers' wishes for the game also hint at what may come. In a dev update video, they state that they want the world to be more dynamic so that it will feel different to players each time they pass through it, and they also want players to have an impact on the world. This suggests that players may see more dynamic events, seasonal events, and special events that change Aeternum in some way.
New World Needs to Bring Its Player Base Back
As previously discussed, New World's player base has been on a frightening decline. By December 23, it had only 115, 743 concurrent players. Although empty servers were once an issue, the merger of servers has helped to alleviate this problem. However, Amazon must do something to maintain public interest in its MMO or else Aeternum could become vacant land.
One of the most commonly brought up issues is that New World lacks end-game PvE content. This does not bode well for an MMO that expects to keep players returning for years. Another frequently voiced complaint is that the economy is imbalanced. A lack of opportunities to gather currency legitimately has caused dramatic deflation, leading to some players preferring to barter rather than spend their hard-earned money.
Perhaps the biggest problem New World has to overcome is a tarnished reputation. In the weeks following the game's launch, it was discovered that the game has numerous glitches that can be exploited. This includes the invincibility glitch which lets players avoid taking damage so long as they drag the game's window around, and the gold duplication glitch which allows players to duplicate gold by trading it with another player then logging out before the gold can be subtracted from the first player's inventory.
By paying attention to common complaints on New World forums, implementing highly requested features, and eliminating embarrassing bugs, Amazon can revive the game and have Aeternum bustling once again.
Will Amazon Give Up On New World?
Amazon does not have the best track record when it comes to supporting games over the long term. The free-to-play shooter Crucible was developed for four years and made available for download in May 2020, but it faced less than warm reception from critics and was closed in June 2020 before being discontinued. According to the studio, this was done to allow the developers to "work on New World and other Amazon Games projects." Should New World not find the success Amazon is looking for, its history suggests it could pull the plug on this project to focus on a new attempt to penetrate the gaming market.
New World does not have to be abandoned, however. With enough nurturing and a steady stream of meaningful updates, it has the potential to sit alongside other long-running MMOs. Many clearly enjoyed it once, so Amazon really just has to recapture that magic. With the right improvements, 2022 could be a year of upward growth for New World, as many gamers have yet to give up on it. Aeternum is just too beautiful, the thrill of conquest is just too alluring, and the magic is just too enchanting.
New World is available now on PC.
