10 "Next Big Thing" Video Games That Disappeared Overnight
1. New World
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Amazon Games is even a real studio.
One of the most profitable companies in the world, it’s shocking that Amazon is yet to make any real kind of impact on the gaming space… although 2021 MMORPG New World certainly got close.
Set in a fictionalised version of the European conquest of the Americas, New World was a visually stunning MMO that promised far more than it could deliver.
The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to hype and the game’s launch day had a startling 700,000 players. However, the strain on the server caused obnoxious queue times, exacerbated by the fact that the game was initially announced as free-to-play and had instead launched at $40.
This meant that, when Amazon Games got things working, players were already sour when they got into the meat of New World. Many were put off by the mediocre and repetitive quest lines and long grinds for endgame content. This wasn’t ideal, but the game was also dealing with bugs as well as exploits that forced Amazon to pause the game’s economy - which, as you can guess, is a huge deal in a living, breathing online world.
With so many reasons for players to shrug their shoulders and go back to Final Fantasy XIV, it’s no surprise that New World became old hat very fast.