Amazon to End Development of New World: Aeternum as Part of Recent Layoffs

Amazon has confirmed its plans to sunset development on its MMO New World: Aeternum. As part of the latest round of layoffs, the game will not receive any new major updates across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

“After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates,” the team says in a statement.

The New World: Aeternum team announced that the recent Nighthaven and Season 10 update “will serve as the final content release.” As part of the decision to shutter support for the game, the Nighthaven release is being made free to all players. Additionally, Rise of the Angry Earth is also being made free for PC players. In-game purchases will also continue to be supported.

Amazon Games Orange County, the team behind the popular MMO, confirms that servers will be maintained. “In the coming months, we will provide more details on what to expect and other essential information. Rest assured, our intention is to keep servers operating through 2026, allowing our community time to continue their adventures in Aeternum,” it’s said.

As part of this ongoing process, players will be given “a minimum of six months’ notice” before any major changes are made to the ability to play the game.

The shuttering of New World: Aeternum arrives soon after Amazon announced it is laying off around 14,000 employees. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Amazon is “making organizational changes.” The mass layoff is affecting many different departments across the company. Beth Galetti, a senior executive at the company, sent a memo to staff explaining that those affected have 90 days to look for new roles internally.

New World was first released on PC back in 2021. The game then built a sustainable player base before the major Aeternum update landed on October 15, 2024, with console support coinciding with the release.