It has been announced that New World, an upcoming massively multiplayer role-playing game from Amazon Game Studios, will only feature cosmetic items in its in-game store. Announced back in 2016, New World has gone through a lengthy development process and a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The title, now set for an August 31, 2021 release, will feature a large open world to explore as well as intense combat.
While the game has experienced a long and turbulent development, Amazon Game Studios appears to be ramping up excitement for the release of New World. A recent preview event showed off Amrine Excavation, an “expedition” which allows players to raid a dungeon, battle bosses and earn valuable rewards. The game’s action mechanics, which allow players to fight in real time rather than using an auto-lock system, were on full display during the event. The developers promise that New World will have plenty of dungeons to explore and enemies to battle upon release. A recently-released trailer sheds more light on the MMORPG, highlighting the game’s environments and combat while also showing off a five-player dungeon experience.
A recent news post on the New World website provides an in-depth look at the game’s store, which has been added to the alpha release for players to experience. In the post, Amazon Game Studios confirms that only cosmetic items are planned to be included in the store. Items that affect gameplay or provide an advantage, such as weapons, will not be included in the in-game store. The developer assures players, “We won’t consider selling anything other than cosmetic items until 2022 at the earliest.“
New World is shaping up to be an exciting game for MMORPG and action game fans, but Amazon Game Studios does not yet have a record of success. Reports from earlier this year claimed that the game studio was plagued by inexperienced leadership, poor work culture and a chaotic custom game engine. This has led to the cancellation of multiple projects, such as the multiplayer brawler Breakaway and the multiplayer third-person shooter Crucible. However, Amazon’s upcoming new CEO, Andy Jassy, has affirmed his commitment to succeeding as a video game developer.
New World looks to be an exciting new title, mixing multiplayer elements with the tactile combat of an action role-playing title like Dark Souls. The in-game store also looks to be handled correctly, with players unable to spend money in order to gain an upper hand over other players. Microtransactions are a very controversial inclusion in any video game, but using them exclusively for cosmetic options is arguably one of the least objectionable ways to incorporate them.
New World is set to release on August 31 for PC.
