Amazon Games’ Ambitious MMO ‘New World’ Suffers Pandemic Delay

• Amazon Game Studios has delayed the launch of the upcoming MMO, New World.
• The title was due for release this May, but will now arrive in August.
• The developer cites the impact of remote work on the pace of development as the reason behind the decision.

Amazon Game Studios has announced that it is delaying the launch of its ambitious upcoming MMO, New World, from this May to August.

New World is set to be Amazon’s first proper, large scale title as it attempts to pierce into hugely-competitive gaming market.

Development Challenges

As has become all too common in recent months, the developer points to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic as the impetus behind the decision. Like numerous other studios, Amazon Game Studios as shifted its operations to remote work to adhere to efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Work-from-home measures have reportedly spawned development challenges. These make producing a finished game by May that meets Amazon’s quality standards an impossible task.

New World’s game director Scott Lane says that due to the ‘collaborative and highly technical nature’ of game development, progress isn’t where it should.

New World Release Moved To August

Amazon Game Studios shared the news in a blog post on the official New World website. It reads;

Like most of you, our entire team has been sequestered as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While we are still making great progress, developing an ambitious MMO like New World remotely has introduced some challenges. We want to make sure that we have the time needed to make New World the very best it can be for our players. As a result, we’ve chosen to delay the game’s release in order to reach our quality bar as we work remotely for the foreseeable future.

The studio notes that the news will undoubtedly disappoint those expecting New World in May. But, the health and safety of team members remain a priority.

Amazon Game Studios now aims to release New World on Aug. 25 and is shifting the closed beta to July. The New World alpha will remain live for existing players to allow for testing and tuning.