Amazon’s foray into PC games is off to a rocky start in 2020. The company said today it is delaying its New World massively multiplayer online game until the spring of 2021, based on feedback it’s received from testers and players.
This delay comes after the company was set to release the game in August. This also follows the embarrassment of launching its Crucible sci-fi shooter game and then pulling the game back into a closed beta earlier this month after lackluster demand. New World was originally set to debut in May, but Amazon pushed that date to August. And now it is delayed yet again.
Richard Lawrence, the director of game technology at Amazon Game Studios Orange County in Irvine, California, said in a blog post that with the August 25 launch date rapidly approaching, the team scrutinized its feature list and alpha user feedback. Based on that, the company decided to postpone the release.
“When we examined the feedback we received over the last several months from our Alpha audience, we saw that players like the game, and they would like to see even more of it,” Lawrence said. “In particular, we want to ensure that the most dedicated players have plenty of middle and endgame experiences as they venture through Aeternum. We want our players to feel completely immersed in the game, and know that our studio stands for quality and lasting gameplay you can trust — and that means added time to get things where we want them before we fully release.”
He said the team didn’t make the decision lightly, and it has an urgency to get the game done at the best quality. Players will get to play the game for a limited time on August 25, but that will be a limited-time beta test, rather than a full launch.