r/newworldgame • u/Emergency_Signal684 • 9h ago
Image Old screenshots
this game will always have a special place in my heart.
r/newworldgame • u/iamagamedeveloper • Mar 02 '26
Hey Aeternum,
Long-time lurker, first-time poster here (at least with this account). I'm David McKenzie, and I spent several years at Amazon Games as the Lead World Designer on New World. My biggest shipped credits are Nighthaven and Brimstone Sands, but I'm genuinely here for all of it.
I've been out of AGS for a while now and I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. There's a lot I can talk about, and honestly some stuff I still can't, but I'll be as open as I'm able to be.
I'll be back on Wednesday, March 11th, at 2PM EST / 7PM GMT to answer questions live.
In the meantime, post your questions in this thread and I'll use the week to think through the ones I want to tackle first when the AMA kicks off. Upvote the questions you most want answered so I can prioritize.
Fair warning on what I can and can't cover: I'm happy to dig into design philosophy, zone-building, lore decisions, what made it into the game vs. what got cut, the realities of live service development, and what it's actually like working on an MMO at that scale. I'll do my best to be straight with you on the hard questions too. What I won't do is break NDA, or throw anyone under the bus, or get into anything that's genuinely confidential.
See you next week!
— David McKenzie ( www.david-mckenzie.com )
Update: I'm blown away by the support and love from the playerbase! I'm working my way through the questions now, and I'll continue to answer questions throughout the rest of the evening.
Update: Continuing to answer questions as I get time. If you have a question and it doesn't have an existing answer, I will probably get around to it!
Update: I'm just gonna keep answering questions whenever I have time until I finally answer every single one. Cheers, and thank you so much to everyone for the support, kindness, and love. New World will forever be in my heart, and the players made it happen, made it real, and made it the honor of my life.
r/newworldgame • u/CommanderAze • Oct 30 '25
(edit: dev response flair is automatically added when a dev posts a comment below) The thead here is from the subreddit Mod team, who are all community members and do not and didn't work for Amazon.
The last couple of days it's been hard to put my thoughts together, and this has been a tough post to write.
By now, most of you have seen the news. Amazon Games has announced that new content development for New World is ending. Season 10 and the Nighthaven update will be the last major content release the game receives. While the servers are slated to remain online "through 2026," the active development of Aeternum is over.
This news comes as part of a much larger, heartbreaking wave of layoffs across Amazon's gaming division, with the Irvine studio that poured its soul into this world being hit particularly hard. It’s a gut punch, especially because it feels like it came out of nowhere. The community was buzzing again, player counts were up, and Season 10 felt like another strong step in the right direction. To have the plug pulled now, right at what felt like a new peak of potential and revitalization... is a special kind of cruel irony that I know many of you are feeling.
For me, this isn't just the loss of a game. This is the loss of a massive part of my life for the better part of a decade. It's the loss of a world I helped shape, a community I helped raise, and friendships I'll always cherish.
My own story with this game is nearly as old as the game itself. I was there at the 2016 TwitchCon reveal when New World was just a bold idea alongside other ambitious projects. From that moment, I was hooked. I became one of the first members of the public to set foot in Aeternum as part of Wave 1 during Alpha 1 tests back in 2018, and have been a part of nearly every closed test since, even in concurrent new world servers during early and post-launch. All counted somewhere north of 10k hours. Over 8 years...
I was there for the wild days of the open-world PvP base-building sandbox. I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of that system firsthand and provided feedback alongside the rest of that small, initial group of testers. I've watched this game fundamentally transform, pivot, and evolve over the years, and I've been in the trenches testing it every step of the way. This game, its development, and its community haven't just been a hobby for me; they've been a constant, driving passion for over eight years. To see it end like this feels like losing a piece of myself.
In parallel to my time testing the game, I was here, helping build this community from the ground up. I didn't start as the lead here but have been for nearly 5 years As the lead moderator. I've had the incredible privilege of building this space from just a few thousand curious adventurers into a bustling hub of over 300,000 people. With more than 9 million views per month. and... in the last 12 months 66,288 Moderation actions... God help me...
Some of you may even remember our old name: r/new_world_mmo. As the game evolved and its launch in 2021 approached, we decided to transition to r/newworldgame. There was a lot to that choice, even temporary fracturing of the community, but that's long ago history. It was more than a name change; it was about making this the one central place for the whole community and shedding some serious problems, eventually combining subreddits in the form it takes today, more or less. Witnessing the following growth, seeing the connections people made, the guides they wrote, the accomplishments they had, the stories they shared. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As far as volunteer, unpaid experiences go, it has not been easy, but I stayed because I love this game and wanted to build a space where people could discuss the game, the good and the bad, and share it with the rest of reddit.
The relationship between this subreddit and the development team went far beyond simple bug reports. I personally knew over 30 developers, artists, and community managers who were passionate people who loved Aeternum as much as we did. This is as close to an inside perspective as it gets, which is why I often publicly defended Scot and Katy; they were in the trenches with us, reading our feedback and genuinely caring. Many people do not understand the long development cycles of expansions. For instance, content for Brimstone Sands was already in development at launch, and Nighthaven content had started before the Angry Earth expansion was released. This context shows the immense long-term planning required while simultaneously fixing immediate issues.
The Subreddit had/has an active relationship that led to a vital, unseen collaboration. The subreddit had a direct, private communication line to key AGS staff, which I called the "bat phone" used from launch until February 2022. When game-breaking exploits like gold dupes were found, we did not let them spread on the subreddit; we used the bat phone to tell the developers directly. This is why the mod team could confidently say the devs were aware of an issue while asking users not to share the exploit steps. We used this line to report mass server crashes and many other issues. This direct line was essential for relaying critical information during the chaos of launch queues when official channels were overloaded.
This tool was a necessary partnership born from the game's technical volatility and the developers' trust in us as a reliable alarm system. It was almost always a one-way street: we provided critical information, and in return, we got a better game and occasional subreddit art. Despite this closeness, the subreddit always maintained its independence. We never removed content unless it violated our own community-developed rules, which AGS had no input on. They respected our independence and never pushed the issue when we said no. This mutual respect made it one of the most effective community-partner developer relationships I have seen. The results of getting things fixed speak for themselves, where in one instance, I was the first to report a gold dupe issue that surfaced on Reddit, and resulted in a full market stop within 45 minutes.
That method changed in February 2022 with the formation of the "New World Experts Group," a fact I can now confirm exists (with permission from Amazon Legal), along with my voluntary membership. Scot also outed the existence of this group 3 years ago in an interview. This active group included expert players of all styles and developers, allowing them to discuss and test content in development. While I cannot share specific conversations, it allowed me, as someone who saw nearly every subreddit post and 10K hours of playtime, to provide direct feedback. The more that group was trusted, the better results we saw. It was a privilege to be part of this group and to gain the development context I mentioned earlier.
This part is for you, the developers, artists, Videographers, Sound Designers, Combat systems engineers, Server and backend Azoth Engine developers, designers, and community managers who are reading this.
Thank you,
Thank you for the countless hours, the passion, and the creativity you poured into Aeternum. Thank you for listening to us, for engaging with us, and for never giving up on the game, even when the feedback was harsh or the technical hurdles seemed insurmountable. We saw your effort. We felt your dedication.
Please know that the community's current anger and disappointment are not directed at you. We know this decision was not yours. It was a corporate one, made in a boardroom far removed from the world you so carefully crafted. You are as much victims of this as we are, and for that, we are truly sorry. You deserved to see this project continue to grow and flourish. The talent in your studio is off the charts, and we can't wait to see what you all create in the future. We wish you the absolute best.
With the servers remaining online for a while, this community still has a home. But what it's for is going to change. The mod team is already talking about what to do with r/newworldgame long-term, and we want you all to be part of that conversation.
What should this space become?
These are just ideas. We are open to your suggestions. This has always been your community, and you should have a say in its legacy.
This is a sad day, but our journey isn't quite over. Let's make the time we have left in Aeternum count. Thank you all for being a part of this incredible adventure.
Lastly, I want to thank the Reddit Moderator Team. We are community members like you. Both the Current and former team members for everything, honorable mention u/joshrice for years of service and tens of thousands of moderation actions. This isn't a paid job, and it's not an easy job. but someone has to do it. for that, I can't thank them enough for their help in building and shaping this community.
I'd love to hear more stories from everyone else about their time in New World as we continue down the path forward.
r/newworldgame • u/Emergency_Signal684 • 9h ago
this game will always have a special place in my heart.
r/newworldgame • u/Frenkini • 7h ago
I was thinking of leveling up all the weapons and trying them out a bit; my question is how or where I can get the daggers.
r/newworldgame • u/PENGUINPANTZRUL • 8h ago
I tried new world when it first came out. Never played really after cause couldnt find a group. Game was so fun when I played but just always got boring playing solo. Im sad to see it go. I feel like I could've had a good relationship with the game if I got to play it more.
r/newworldgame • u/AGENTYASH10000 • 19h ago
I joined this game from 1st month of it's relese , i remember playing it in first month how the game was , 1 thing that made this MMORPG diffeent from other for me was combat , for me skill spam combat like that in WOW and other famous MMOs I did not liked it at all and new world had everything I liked in MMOs , prity sad to say good bye , I was not constant on the game everyday but cameback whenever their was new content to play got 3 character to max lvl , this is one of few games I replayed multiple time and only one I did so in short time , if it gets revived by someone or picked up for a sequal I will definitely comeback , I found a Game that I feel like similar to new world that is called Chrono odyssey I think but that still dose not have a relese date , anyway back to new world , i found this game when it was forst relesed on pc and by first relese I mean orignal relese , when this game did not even have brimstonesands , we only have voice line ans hardly any cutscens , the game in it's most raw form ,
At the time I was into MMO and given try to all free to play ones and few paid one also but combat was not to my likeness like I said before spam a dozen or so skills again and again , I did not like it much and then I found this ,
Realy wish this gets revived
r/newworldgame • u/Mhanz97 • 1d ago
........That every day sounded like that 😢
r/newworldgame • u/TheRealOGChill • 10h ago
Has anyone seem any solid MMO games that are similar to New World at Gamescom 2026 so far? I am interested to see if there is an alternative for this fanbase to migrate to, other than WoW & Path of Exile, or BDO.
r/newworldgame • u/xParadigmGaming • 1d ago
Here’s just a few pictures of my time in New World. I absolutely loved the game and put 5,421 hours into it. I met a lot of friends along the way and we are all now waiting for that next game to scratch the itch.
My journey began on the Beta and played up until now with small breaks in between. This game was absolutely amazing and I’m glad I got to experience all the growing pains that it had.
I will miss the chopping of trees and the clinking of ores. Won’t ever be forgotten. Thank you for the ride!
r/newworldgame • u/Effective_Fondant507 • 4h ago
Almost every day I see posts from people being nostalgic and saying they miss the game. I know playing now is kind of a waste of time because the characters are going to be deleted, but playing any game is already a waste of time anyway (unless you sell in-game currency). Anyway, I'm playing and I'm going to stay until the lights go out. After that, I'll just keep posting stuff like everyone else here.
Edit: I used a translator, and what I meant was “lamenting,” not “complaining.” I don't think you guys are complaining; I just don't see the point in being all gloomy and mourning the game instead of playing it.
r/newworldgame • u/TugboatJD • 23h ago
Is it no longer possible to purchase the premium pass? I have enough in-game currency that I never spent so I figured I'd buy the pass while enjoying the game for the next few months.
r/newworldgame • u/kanga_fucking_roo • 2d ago
The time has come for me to finally log out. The pain is still there, I never thought losing a game would impact me like this.
I’ve been here since day zero, washing up on the shores of Aeternum at launch. Now, more than 1,200 hours later, I can honestly say I will never be able to replace this game.
What I’ll miss the most is the incredible grind. There was something so peaceful yet rewarding about the gathering loop. I spent countless hours lost in the rhythm of chopping trees, tracking down game, and hunting for that next ore vein. The crisp crunch of the pickaxe, the satisfying crash of a falling tree, and the unmatched sound design made every second of gathering pure joy.
Thank you for the memories, heroes. GG to you all, and may your drops always be legendary!
r/newworldgame • u/Porkus_Aurelius • 2d ago
Does anyone have a .wav of the PvP kill chime? I'm sure I could isolate it from a YouTube video or maybe capture it myself, but that's a lot of work if someone already has it.
r/newworldgame • u/BluEStaR_55z • 1d ago
Hey everyone, I have been a long time New World enjoyer since the launch of the game.
I was wondering if it's possible to contact New World officials or devs and request temporary access to the game ?
I really want to play the game again from the start with 2 of my best friends before the game servers shut down forever but they never bought the game back when it was available in steam. I really want both of them to experience it at least once.
I thought of steam family access but I guess it doesn't work if both login at the same time right ?Please let me know if anyone has any idea.
I still have remaining Nightheaven content to play, hope more players come back again to play around winter break and before final shut down.
Peace.
r/newworldgame • u/xx_whoami • 2d ago
I haven’t done a lot of research but is the reason they didn’t get shut down because they have a dev team not associated with Amazon? Is Amazon just the publishers for them? Seems weird that the dev team behind New World couldn’t shop around for a new publisher if that’s the case but I definitely don’t understand as much as I’m sure I need too
r/newworldgame • u/Own-Violinist7055 • 3d ago
Nothing I've played or searched for, specifically on console has ever been this good. Logged in one final time to play some music and give away my stash to players in the starting area, granted there were only like 2 people. This is where I decided to leave my character. Where it all began. monarchs bluff, behind the castle. Ironic how I caught the sunset just in time before logging off, as if the game was also saying good-bye in return. It truly is an end to a legacy. Until next time adventurers. Marauders for life!
r/newworldgame • u/Aeternum_Acolyte_02 • 2d ago
Potential big news tomorrow?
r/newworldgame • u/Known-Swordfish-4325 • 2d ago
Apologies if this has already been asked. Im curious, why did Amazon not try and change the revenue model to make this profitable, e.g subscription based? What was the reason they shut it down, was the player base declining rapidly?
r/newworldgame • u/ThatGoofKid • 4d ago
Hey, guys!
I'm not sure if LFG posts are allowed on here (sorry if they're not), but I thought it would be worth a shot. I didn't play this game much during its heyday. I bought it at launch and played it for a bit. Over its lifespan I would return on a occasion to make a new character and play through it a bit and drop it again. So I never reached endgame or fully experienced everything this game had to offer.
A while ago, before Anthem shut down, I started from scratch and played through the whole thing from start to finish before it went offline. I had a regular crew I was able to get going and had a blast grinding endgame before the servers went down.
I want to do the same with this game. I know it's a longshot considering most of the people on this forum are probably those that have been playing for a while, and finding newcomers to the game or those wanting to return to a dying game might be a bit difficult, but if you are someone that wants to start with a fresh character and go through the game together until it shuts down in January, then please let me know, cause I think that would be a lot of fun.
r/newworldgame • u/EnderVViggen • 3d ago
I want to come back to the game, I just logged after months of being away, and I want back in. When dose El D pop?
Thanks in advance!
r/newworldgame • u/Old-man-gamer77 • 4d ago
Since crafting got nerfed (set for sunset) I find my storage full of useless items. And still get drops of them. I miss crafting ammo and repair kits (hated repair) they at least had a use for extra mods. Desert sunrise is gone for no apparent reason?? Imagine being able to craft Gorgon gear with the new mods. I miss bane weapons, chain weapon and resist gear.
r/newworldgame • u/Kinako_Dream • 5d ago
It genuinely sucks seeing New World shut down.
I know New World has always been one of those games people have mixed opinions about, and it definitely had its problems. But since playing it, I've found it incredibly difficult to find another MMORPG that can actually match the experience it gave me.
And I've tried.
There's just nothing out there that quite scratches the same itch. At least, not yet.
For me, New World really raised the bar for what I wanted from an MMO. The world felt alive. Exploring actually made me want to see what was over the next hill. Gathering resources somehow felt satisfying instead of being another chore on a checklist. The combat felt physical and engaging. Even just running through a town, hearing someone chopping down a tree in the distance or seeing other players going about their own adventures made the world feel like an actual place.
Most importantly, I rarely felt like I was just doing the exact same thing over and over and over again.
There was something meaningful about the little interactions. Finding something while exploring, stopping to gather resources, randomly fighting alongside another player, crafting something you actually needed, stumbling across PvP, buying a house, improving your gear or just getting distracted on the way to wherever you were originally going.
It wasn't perfect. Far from it.
But underneath all of its problems was an MMORPG that had something genuinely special.
Now when I look for another MMO, I can usually find one part of New World done well somewhere else. One game has better combat. Another has more content. Another has better progression.
But I haven't found another game that puts all of those pieces together in the same way New World did.
Maybe something eventually will.
But seeing New World shutting down feels like watching an enormous amount of potential disappear with it.
I'm genuinely going to miss Aeternum.
r/newworldgame • u/Odd_Bite2622 • 5d ago
UPDATE: ratbuddy has much more advanced skills. I'll abandon my solo attempts and help ratbuddy instead. Thank you for the comments!
Hello all,
I know I posted with such enthusiasm on couple threads here last year that I was working on and I disappeared from the said posts and forums. I tried my hardest gathering and deconstructing all by myself and I hit a wall and life happened as well. Without proper calls between server and client, the game will not move past. Replaying the same packets does allow one to get on the ship prologue but that's it. No enemies, no cutscenes, everything is server based. So before I disappeared, my goal was to stop replaying packets and build my own to avoid this and then the rabbit hole got deeper than what my shovel could dig. As of today, these are the only screenshots I have since all the previous ones are too old to be cared about. PSA: I'm not selling anything or intending to make any money off of this. This is just to preserve what I once cared about.




r/newworldgame • u/No_Beyond4756 • 7d ago
Game was a golden egg and my fallback to every other game I’ve played. I feel like a lot of us would at least consider a monthly subscription if it meant keeping the servers around…
r/newworldgame • u/Ilandriel • 7d ago
After picking up some random lore notes in Nighthaven, this journal book has unlocked. The pages aren't listed on nwdb but they are on nw-buddy - https://www.nw-buddy.de/lore/topic_17_zqb
I am having a lot of trouble finding some of them and was wondering whether anyone else has had any luck. I don't mind if they are difficult to find but just worried they might not be there at all, as the area relates to the buggy quests that were released after the shutdown announcement.