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

Just over four years after Amazon Game Studios first launched the title, its once-popular MMORPG New World: Aeternum is officially being shut down next year, with the developer planning to bring its servers offline on January 31, 2027. Notably, it's also been delisted as of January 15 (today, at the time of writing), so it's no longer available to purchase if you don't own it already.

Released on PC in 2021 as New World, Amazon's MMO skyrocketed to the top of the Steam charts and rapidly became one of the platform's most-popular games in the genre, with an all-time player count peak of 913,634 that makes it the 11th most-played Steam game of all time (according to SteamDB data).

Fans fell in love with its colossal open world, satisfying combat mechanics, massive 50v50 PvP battles, aesthetic inspired by the Age of Discovery and medieval Europe, and more. However, after its opening launch weeks, players quickly came to realize how little depth the PvE had, how repetitive quests were, and that there was ultimately little-to-no endgame content.

Thus, New World's popularity subsequently nosedived in early 2022. And despite multiple attempts to revitalize the game with content updates, DLC, and even a relaunch in 2024 — it bundled all of its expansions, brought it to Xbox and PS5 consoles, and renamed it New World: Aeternum — the devs were ultimately never able to give it the shot in the arm it needed.

That led to Amazon Game Studios announcing it was no longer developing new content for the MMO in October last year, and ultimately the new news that it's being sunset in early 2027. Confirmation of its upcoming death came in a new blog post in which the developers thanked the game's community for playing and supporting New World.

"We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion. We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you," wrote the devs. "Together we built something special. While we are saddened to say goodbye, we’re honored that we were able to share so much with the community."

"It has been our pleasure to work on New World: Aeternum and evolve this unforgettable adventure with you all. We look forward to one more year together, and giving this fantastic adventure a sendoff worthy of a legendary hero. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you for sharing this world with us," they added.

In the attached FAQ, Amazon Game Studios explained that New World: Aeternum has been delisted ahead of its shutdown, and that starting on July 20, 2026, existing players will no longer be able to purchase the in-game currency Marks of Fortune.

It also noted that you should go through the refund process of whichever platform you play on if you bought New World: Aeternum recently and want your money back, and says it will "monitor bugs and performance to ensure the game runs smoothly as things wind down."

I've always felt New World had a lot of potential that was never realized, so I'm sad to see that the MMO is going the way of the dodo. Other reactions, though, are more heated; New World: Aeternum's recent user reviews on Steam have plummeted to a "Mostly Negative" rating in the hours after the sunsetting announcement, with many angry about how the game was handled.

Did you play New World: Aeternum? If so, what did you think of the game? Do you think Amazon is making the right call by shutting it down, or do you think the developers could have revived it with new additions and improvements? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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