Amazon Game Studios has delayed the release of New World due to game development challenges brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest in a long line of games hit with delays, Amazon’s New World is an incredibly ambitious open, massively multiple player online role-playing game (MMORPG) game.
Amazon unveiled New World in December last year and was initially set for release this coming May.
But due to the ongoing pandemic, the game’s release date has been pushed back to August 25 while the start of its Closed Beta was moved to July.
This decision was mainly due to issues in the game’s development brought about the recent coronavirus pandemic. Amazon developers had to shift to work-from-home arrangement which then brought unspecified development challenges.
Amid concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios have made the decision to delay release dates on their future titles. Last of Us 2, which was previously set for a May 29 release is now delayed indefinitely along with Iron Man VR.
Update: SIE has made the difficult decision to delay the launch of The Last of Us Part II and Marvel's Iron Man VR until further notice. Logistically, the global crisis is preventing us from providing the launch experience our players deserve.
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 2, 2020
Scot Lane’s blog post
Scot Lane, game director of New World, relayed via blog post that the health and safety of developers remain the top priority and that continuing development work remotely brought about some difficulties.
Lane said:
“We know you are eagerly anticipating the launch of New World, and we’re excited to share it with you. However, the health and safety of our team is our first priority. We hope you understand our decision to protect our team during these uncertain times while we re-focus on a timeline that will ensure New World is the best possible game it can be.”
Lane’s statement was accompanied by a short video message reiterating the things he covered in the post while thanking fans and reassuring them that the game’s Closed Alpha would remain live. Below is Lane’s video address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dohSCv3cxO0#action=share
Amazon’s largest game to date
New World is an MMORPG currently in development by Amazon Game Studios and is set to be the most substantial video game that Amazon has published so far.
It is set in the fictional land of Aeternum where players will do battle against hordes of humanoid creatures warped by a malevolent energy known only as “The Corruption.”
Aside from enemies in the game’s environment, players will also be squaring off against each other as they compete for control over different territories and its resources.
Images courtesy of New World