Amazon’s massively multiplayer online RPG New World has attracted a big audience so far with its closed beta, which has analysts wondering if it might be the breakout game for Amazon Game Studios.
New World, scheduled for a full release on Aug. 31, puts players in the role of explorers who’ve ended up stranded on the magic-riddled island of Aeternum. So far, it seems to split the difference between action games and the traditional MMORPG formula, with fast-paced real-time combat.
Update: Amazon announced Aug. 4 that the New World release was being delayed until Sept. 28, saying the development team needed a few extra weeks to “smash bugs, improve stability and polish the game.”
A message from the New World team. pic.twitter.com/oAZdK7dxTn
— New World (@playnewworld) August 4, 2021
Amazon’s developers, who primarily work out of the company’s self-titled Orange County studio, started New World‘s most recent closed beta test on July 20, which is planned to run until 11:59 p.m. PT on Aug. 2.
That closed beta hit a surprise peak of just over 200,000 simultaneous players on Steam on July 25, and has maintained a steady population of over 150,000 players since its debut. Players were able to gain access to the closed beta by signing up to be a tester, or by receiving beta access as a perk for pre-ordering the game through Amazon’s website.
By way of comparison, having 200,000 players made New World the sixth most popular game on Steam on July 25, only beaten out by perennial server hogs like Rainbow Six: Siege and Team Fortress 2. It’s too early to say whether this means the game is a hit, but it’s an encouraging early sign for Amazon.
So far, the general player opinion of New World seems to be positive, but it’s also been hampered by a unique sort of disaster. Testers on the game’s closed beta reported last week that running New World can “brick” high-end video cards like the GeForce RTX 3090.
Please read this message regarding recent concerns with graphics cards hardware. pic.twitter.com/L1gNeBBPQS
— New World (@playnewworld) July 21, 2021
The issue appears to have been a now-patched glitch in the game’s beta client, where New World’s in-game menus were rendered without a hard cap on their maximum frame rate. PCs with the capacity to do so would proceed to try to render those menus with as many FPS as possible, and would eventually burn themselves out in the process.
At least one company, EVGA, has since announced that it will replace the video cards of any customers who had them fail while playing New World.
Amazon’s efforts to create original video games have largely been unsuccessful to date, but new CEO Andy Jassy pledged earlier this year to stick with the company’s efforts in the space.
In the last two years, Amazon opted to discontinue its “hero shooter” Crucible after a troubled launch period, and quietly canceled a Lord of the Rings MMO in April. New World, should it succeed, would be a sea change for the company’s video game efforts to date.
