On September 28th, 2021, Amazon released a new gaming title called New World. The new massively multiplayer role-playing game (MMO) took the gaming world by storm with its graphics, crafting system, and the freedom given to the players. With all this wrapped into one game, many players flocked to it on opening day. 

Opening day saw an influx of players wanting to play and join the game, causing some unexpected problems within Amazon’s, such as long queue times to get into the game. 

“I did [notice] on release… the horrid five to ten-hour queue timers that everyone was getting, but it’s been really good after they fixed that,” SMCS senior Jose Perez said on logging into the game on day one. 

The second major problem was due to the number of people online at the time, the servers lagged, causing many players to disconnect from the game, just to be put into the aforementioned queues. All this has seemed to be fixed and no further complaints about the servers have been voiced.

The game’s popularity wasn’t surprising. New World offered a variety of different things that many other MMOs have previously lacked.

“I think the environments and the vistas are a huge part of what makes this game so popular,” Perez explained.   

There is also the economy of the game; since there are no non-player character (NPC) stores; it is up to the player to buy from another player, or to work to make the item they are after. This is a step away from the traditional MMO which would have NPC shops in order to give the players the ability to sell and purchase various items. 

Additionally, although New World’s combat system and character development aren’t all that unique, its versatility there allows for players to develop their own styles without feeling forced to take a certain path over another.

Despite the success of its launch and the game’s wild popularity, many players are split on their opinions for New World’s future. While some are hopeful for the future of the game, others are not as optimistic and believe that the game’s player base may face a decline. There is a hope that its initial popularity will make Amazon pay close attention to it and update it with new content soon. But, at the same time, with the lack of endgame content, players are finding it harder to continue to play the game once the novelty wears off. 

“I saw enough of them to make a gamer look at it but not enough to make them want to stay,” teacher Janice Bailey said. 

It is up to Amazon what they do now, they have a willing player base and excited gamers. It is now their responsibility to keep the game alive and keep the momentum of launch moving forward towards the future.