New World is Amazon’s first MMO, and it’s been in development for more than three years. It features a classless progression system, crafting, the ability to team up or play solo, and battles of up to 100 players and paranormal NPCs at a time.
Of course, a game about people violently sieging a foreign land in the 1600s has raised eyebrows. Its core idea seems to be based on real-life European imperialism, with undead creatures as a stand-in for indigenous peoples. In response to this perspective, Amazon Games studio head Patrick Gilmore told Polygon in February, “That’s not really been a focus at all. The lore of the game is that there’s a tainted aspect to this world, that it’s a garden of Eden that has fallen from grace.” In-game, the undead are former settlers who’ve been corrupted by the island, Aeternum, itself.
Before launch, Amazon will hold a closed beta for New World in April 2020. Those who pre-order will get access to the beta, plus a handful of in-game items.
