What was once one of Steam’s biggest MMOs is being killed off, and it’s already been delisted — you have one year to play before shutdown

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Okay, so it’s official – New World, Amazon’s MMORPG, is shutting down. It’s a bit sad, honestly, considering the hype when it first launched over four years ago. They’re planning to take the servers offline for good on January 31st, 2027. And as of today, January 15th, they’ve actually removed it from sale, meaning if you don’t already own the game, you won’t be able to buy it anymore.

As an analyst, I’ve been tracking New World since its PC release in 2021. It quickly became a huge hit on Steam, shooting to the top of the charts and establishing itself as a leading MMO. We actually saw it peak at over 913,000 concurrent players, which currently ranks it as the 11th most popular game ever on Steam, according to SteamDB data.

The game initially captivated players with its huge, beautiful world, engaging combat, and epic 50v50 battles, drawing inspiration from the Age of Discovery and medieval Europe. However, it soon became clear that the game lacked substantial single-player content, quests felt repetitive, and there wasn’t much to do once you finished the main story.

New World quickly lost popularity after its initial release in early 2022. Although the developers tried to revive the game with new content, expansions, and a complete relaunch in 2024 – which included everything previously released, a version for Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and a new name, New World: Aeternum – they weren’t able to regain its initial success.

This resulted in Amazon Game Studios deciding to stop creating new content for the game last October, and now the announcement that it will officially shut down in early 2027. The developers confirmed the game’s end in a recent blog post, thanking players for their support of New World.

The development team expressed their gratitude to players for their dedication and enthusiasm, and for the time spent building the world of Aeternum together. They shared that while they’re sad to move on, they’re proud of what they created with the community and thankful for the experience.

We’ve loved creating New World: Aeternum and watching this incredible journey unfold with all of you. We’re excited to spend one last year with you, giving this amazing adventure the grand finale it deserves. Thank you, from all of us, for being a part of this world.

Amazon Game Studios has announced that New World: Aeternum is no longer available for purchase and will be shutting down. Starting July 20, 2026, players won’t be able to buy in-game currency called Marks of Fortune either, according to a recent FAQ.

If you recently purchased New World: Aeternum and would like a refund, the company advises you to request one through the platform where you bought the game. They also plan to keep a close watch on bugs and performance as the game’s support period ends, to ensure it runs as well as possible.

I always thought New World could have been something great, so it’s disappointing to see it shutting down. The reaction from players has been quite strong, too – recent Steam reviews have become overwhelmingly negative, with many expressing frustration over how the game was managed.

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2026-01-16 00:39