r/newworldgame Mar 02 '26

Discussion [AMA Announcement] I'm David McKenzie, former Lead World Designer on New World. I shipped Nighthaven and Brimstone Sands. Doing an AMA next Wednesday, March 11th at 2PM EST / 7PM GMT. Drop your questions here!

830 Upvotes

Hey Aeternum,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here (at least with this account). I'm David McKenzie, and I spent several years at Amazon Games as the Lead World Designer on New World. My biggest shipped credits are Nighthaven and Brimstone Sands, but I'm genuinely here for all of it.

I've been out of AGS for a while now and I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. There's a lot I can talk about, and honestly some stuff I still can't, but I'll be as open as I'm able to be.

I'll be back on Wednesday, March 11th, at 2PM EST / 7PM GMT to answer questions live.

In the meantime, post your questions in this thread and I'll use the week to think through the ones I want to tackle first when the AMA kicks off. Upvote the questions you most want answered so I can prioritize.

Fair warning on what I can and can't cover: I'm happy to dig into design philosophy, zone-building, lore decisions, what made it into the game vs. what got cut, the realities of live service development, and what it's actually like working on an MMO at that scale. I'll do my best to be straight with you on the hard questions too. What I won't do is break NDA, or throw anyone under the bus, or get into anything that's genuinely confidential.

See you next week!

— David McKenzie ( www.david-mckenzie.com )

Update: I'm blown away by the support and love from the playerbase! I'm working my way through the questions now, and I'll continue to answer questions throughout the rest of the evening.

Update: Continuing to answer questions as I get time. If you have a question and it doesn't have an existing answer, I will probably get around to it!

Update: I'm just gonna keep answering questions whenever I have time until I finally answer every single one. Cheers, and thank you so much to everyone for the support, kindness, and love. New World will forever be in my heart, and the players made it happen, made it real, and made it the honor of my life.


r/newworldgame Oct 30 '25

DEV-Response A Message from the NewWorldGame Mod Team

873 Upvotes

(edit: dev response flair is automatically added when a dev posts a comment below) The thead here is from the subreddit Mod team, who are all community members and do not and didn't work for Amazon.

The last couple of days it's been hard to put my thoughts together, and this has been a tough post to write.

By now, most of you have seen the news. Amazon Games has announced that new content development for New World is ending. Season 10 and the Nighthaven update will be the last major content release the game receives. While the servers are slated to remain online "through 2026," the active development of Aeternum is over.

This news comes as part of a much larger, heartbreaking wave of layoffs across Amazon's gaming division, with the Irvine studio that poured its soul into this world being hit particularly hard. It’s a gut punch, especially because it feels like it came out of nowhere. The community was buzzing again, player counts were up, and Season 10 felt like another strong step in the right direction. To have the plug pulled now, right at what felt like a new peak of potential and revitalization... is a special kind of cruel irony that I know many of you are feeling.

For me, this isn't just the loss of a game. This is the loss of a massive part of my life for the better part of a decade. It's the loss of a world I helped shape, a community I helped raise, and friendships I'll always cherish.

My Journey in Aeternum

My own story with this game is nearly as old as the game itself. I was there at the 2016 TwitchCon reveal when New World was just a bold idea alongside other ambitious projects. From that moment, I was hooked. I became one of the first members of the public to set foot in Aeternum as part of Wave 1 during Alpha 1 tests back in 2018, and have been a part of nearly every closed test since, even in concurrent new world servers during early and post-launch. All counted somewhere north of 10k hours. Over 8 years...

I was there for the wild days of the open-world PvP base-building sandbox. I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly of that system firsthand and provided feedback alongside the rest of that small, initial group of testers. I've watched this game fundamentally transform, pivot, and evolve over the years, and I've been in the trenches testing it every step of the way. This game, its development, and its community haven't just been a hobby for me; they've been a constant, driving passion for over eight years. To see it end like this feels like losing a piece of myself.

Building Our Home: From a Few Thousand to 300,000+ Strong

In parallel to my time testing the game, I was here, helping build this community from the ground up. I didn't start as the lead here but have been for nearly 5 years As the lead moderator. I've had the incredible privilege of building this space from just a few thousand curious adventurers into a bustling hub of over 300,000 people. With more than 9 million views per month. and... in the last 12 months 66,288 Moderation actions... God help me...

Some of you may even remember our old name: r/new_world_mmo. As the game evolved and its launch in 2021 approached, we decided to transition to r/newworldgame. There was a lot to that choice, even temporary fracturing of the community, but that's long ago history. It was more than a name change; it was about making this the one central place for the whole community and shedding some serious problems, eventually combining subreddits in the form it takes today, more or less. Witnessing the following growth, seeing the connections people made, the guides they wrote, the accomplishments they had, the stories they shared. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As far as volunteer, unpaid experiences go, it has not been easy, but I stayed because I love this game and wanted to build a space where people could discuss the game, the good and the bad, and share it with the rest of reddit. 

A Partnership Effectively Built

The relationship between this subreddit and the development team went far beyond simple bug reports. I personally knew over 30 developers, artists, and community managers who were passionate people who loved Aeternum as much as we did. This is as close to an inside perspective as it gets, which is why I often publicly defended Scot and Katy; they were in the trenches with us, reading our feedback and genuinely caring. Many people do not understand the long development cycles of expansions. For instance, content for Brimstone Sands was already in development at launch, and Nighthaven content had started before the Angry Earth expansion was released. This context shows the immense long-term planning required while simultaneously fixing immediate issues.

The Subreddit had/has an active relationship that led to a vital, unseen collaboration. The subreddit had a direct, private communication line to key AGS staff, which I called the "bat phone" used from launch until February 2022. When game-breaking exploits like gold dupes were found, we did not let them spread on the subreddit; we used the bat phone to tell the developers directly. This is why the mod team could confidently say the devs were aware of an issue while asking users not to share the exploit steps. We used this line to report mass server crashes and many other issues. This direct line was essential for relaying critical information during the chaos of launch queues when official channels were overloaded.

This tool was a necessary partnership born from the game's technical volatility and the developers' trust in us as a reliable alarm system. It was almost always a one-way street: we provided critical information, and in return, we got a better game and occasional subreddit art. Despite this closeness, the subreddit always maintained its independence. We never removed content unless it violated our own community-developed rules, which AGS had no input on. They respected our independence and never pushed the issue when we said no. This mutual respect made it one of the most effective community-partner developer relationships I have seen. The results of getting things fixed speak for themselves, where in one instance, I was the first to report a gold dupe issue that surfaced on Reddit, and resulted in a full market stop within 45 minutes.

That method changed in February 2022 with the formation of the "New World Experts Group," a fact I can now confirm exists (with permission from Amazon Legal), along with my voluntary membership. Scot also outed the existence of this group 3 years ago in an interview. This active group included expert players of all styles and developers, allowing them to discuss and test content in development. While I cannot share specific conversations, it allowed me, as someone who saw nearly every subreddit post and 10K hours of playtime, to provide direct feedback. The more that group was trusted, the better results we saw. It was a privilege to be part of this group and to gain the development context I mentioned earlier.

To Our Friends at Amazon Games

This part is for you, the developers, artists, Videographers, Sound Designers, Combat systems engineers, Server and backend Azoth Engine developers, designers, and community managers who are reading this.

Thank you,

Thank you for the countless hours, the passion, and the creativity you poured into Aeternum. Thank you for listening to us, for engaging with us, and for never giving up on the game, even when the feedback was harsh or the technical hurdles seemed insurmountable. We saw your effort. We felt your dedication.

Please know that the community's current anger and disappointment are not directed at you. We know this decision was not yours. It was a corporate one, made in a boardroom far removed from the world you so carefully crafted. You are as much victims of this as we are, and for that, we are truly sorry. You deserved to see this project continue to grow and flourish. The talent in your studio is off the charts, and we can't wait to see what you all create in the future. We wish you the absolute best.

The Future of This Subreddit

With the servers remaining online for a while, this community still has a home. But what it's for is going to change. The mod team is already talking about what to do with r/newworldgame long-term, and we want you all to be part of that conversation.

What should this space become?

  • A Living Archive: A place to preserve the incredible guides, lore discussions, databases, and memories we've all created. A monument to the game and its community.
  • A Community Hub: A place for players to organize final in-game events, "end of the world" parties, screenshot contests, and farewell tours of Aeternum.
  • A Diaspora Network: A place for players to connect, share what games they're moving on to, and for companies and friends to find new worlds to explore together.

These are just ideas. We are open to your suggestions. This has always been your community, and you should have a say in its legacy.

This is a sad day, but our journey isn't quite over. Let's make the time we have left in Aeternum count. Thank you all for being a part of this incredible adventure.

A Thank You to My Team.

Lastly, I want to thank the Reddit Moderator Team. We are community members like you. Both the Current and former team members for everything, honorable mention u/joshrice for years of service and tens of thousands of moderation actions. This isn't a paid job, and it's not an easy job. but someone has to do it. for that, I can't thank them enough for their help in building and shaping this community.

u/commanderaze

I'd love to hear more stories from everyone else about their time in New World as we continue down the path forward.


r/newworldgame 6h ago

Discussion Im still sad

42 Upvotes

The thing about new world is it was a game you could just exist in, and if i didnt know what to play maybe id help other run a M1-3 or just farm some trees while watching a video or maybe id sit in a cave for 10 hours mining because I wanted to farm, it was the perfect game to bring me out of the state of not knowing what to do .And because it was in such a pretty world with such good audio design and soundtrack, it was very unique. The combat was satisfying also there just isnt a MMO or even a game that comes close, To this day i cannot fathom the shutdown it feels so unreal that a game that held this special place in my heart got the treatment it did. And even if the servers do somehow get maintained I think the population will be low and it will be a struggle to enjoy knowing its still a skeleton game. Truly i wish with all my heart someone did something with this game even though I know deep down its extremely unlikely


r/newworldgame 8h ago

News (unconfirmed) Save New World - Meetup

43 Upvotes

What if?

What if the final chapter of Aeternum hasn't been written yet? What if the hearth fires of Everfall don't have to go cold, and the banners of our factions don't have to fade into memory?

They tell us the story is ending. They look at numbers, spreadsheets, and server costs, but they fail to see what truly built this realm: us. They don't see the late-night wars, the company bonds carved in victory and defeat, the musicians playing in the town squares, or the forged friendships that carried us far beyond the screen. Aeternum was never just a world made of code—it was given life by every single player who called it home.

Hope isn't lost unless we let it slip away in silence. If we truly love this world, we owe it one more stand.

On September 27th, for the 5th anniversary of New World, we light the beacons. For 24 full hours, we return. We fill every territory, pack every town square, march across every zone, and flood the servers until they burst at the seams. Let’s show the developers, the publisher, and the entire gaming industry that the soul of Aeternum is still fiercely alive.

Log in. Call your old company mates. Rally your factions. Play for an hour, or stand guard for the whole 24. Let’s do our part and make our voices impossible to ignore.

See you on the battlefield—one more time, together.

#SaveAeternum


r/newworldgame 5h ago

Question is it worth going in for one last ride?

2 Upvotes

I dont have the expansions (and glad I never got them now) and I was wondering if there's anyone even on it still that'll help out with world bosses/dungeons or if it's pointless to start again


r/newworldgame 1d ago

Discussion Popular game studio is clearly trying to create an MMO very similar to New World, aiming to release it just as NW servers go down

233 Upvotes

The game is Chrono Odyssey by "Kakao Games" - a well-known publisher behind games like Black Desert and even Path of Exile 2 in Korea.

Many of you might recognize the name. There were beta tests for it a year ago where the movement and combat clearly needed some work. The devs are now working hard to rebuild it to feel better - people gave feedback that they want it more like new world - which is great news for us lost souls trying to find a new home.

The game isn't out yet. The release was initially planned for Q1 2027, but it got moved to Q2 2027 as the "final date".

Why am I making this post? Well, I see a lot of people here posting that there are no games like New World and yes, I agree, not yet! That's why I want to show you HOW SIMILAR the unreleased Chrono Odyssey is to New World (and they're trying to make it even more similar based on the latest beta feedback, which is crazy!).

Alright, let's start from the smallest things to the biggest. I'll try to show you the similarities with a few simple screenshots (note that this won't even show half of how close the game is to NW - it's all about the "feeling").

4 max useable skills per weapon (in NW we had 3 per weapon).
Four consumables binds allowed, just like in New World
Two weapon types with preset tree/skills
Interacting with world objects is almost same as in New World
Forts will work in this game like in New World giving bonuses to region and will allow to claim region via them
View on fort from inside - its clearly New World fort, even stairs are same
Claiming "wild" region using fort - even UI is VERY similar
Game has open world & open world quests and very similar player markers on map - we can clearly see inspiration from New World
Opening chests is like in New World
Unlike New World this game has classes - but they may use other weapon types. It is just for player guidance, like in New World at character creation after console update.
Crafting & resource tiering & crafting UI is almost identical as in New World
Another example of "crafting" in this game - experience, trade skills and in background - gear score
We will be able to interact with most world elements, just like in New world and for example "mine" them in New World style
Level up in trade skill after mining
Starting place, first quest - almost same as in New World. Even loot ui is very similar
View on open world (may be not actual, its old screen from 1-2 years ago)

What do you guys think about it. I will try that game for sure. It is happening and we may get another New World-like game!


r/newworldgame 1d ago

Discussion Joke's Over

142 Upvotes

Hahah okay guys, joke's over. You sure got us with the whole "New World is closing!" bit.
So funny.

Glad it was just a joke.

.... right? 😭


r/newworldgame 2d ago

Question So what game is everyone moving on to?

34 Upvotes

With Amazon killing the game, I wanted to pretty much know where everyone is migrating to? That way can at least keep the NW community together at least.


r/newworldgame 2d ago

Discussion Final closure for an epic game

73 Upvotes

Ty you all for the journey! The road has finally come to an end.I I am moving on to my forever game of star citizen. I wish you all much fun in the final days and hope you find ypur tribe.

May the truth guide you and the wind be forever at your back!

Sentauri


r/newworldgame 2d ago

Question Map Files

13 Upvotes

Prior to the proper death of New World, is it possible to get some sort of map files or anything for the Aeternum world?

I'd like to think that one day I may rebuild Aeternum in Minecraft, but there's no way that I would have the time to do it prior to full death of the game.

If not, I guess I'll be spending a lot of time walking every little bit of the map.


r/newworldgame 1d ago

Suggestion Wow

0 Upvotes

Well, after many years of avoiding it, missing New World, and being completely bored of other games, I gave WoW a shot. I'm absolutely loving it. Not as great as NW, but the quests are fun, you don't HAVE to log millions of hours into it to be good, etc.

Hopefully this inspires more people to try it, it's been surprisingly fun.


r/newworldgame 3d ago

Image Back in the game

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392 Upvotes

‎ ‎The last time I played New World was the morning of 17 Feb 2026. ‎ ‎I went to Elysian Wilds one last time — my favourite part of the entire map. The night before that, I had my last Myrk run and was even trying to give some of my materials away because I knew the game was being removed from ps plus. ‎And let me tell you... giving things away for free in New World is HARD. ‎People think you're trolling them, they think there's a catch, or they simply don't have room in their inventory.

‎At the time, I genuinely thought that was it. I had no idea if I'd ever play again. ‎ ‎Fast-forward about six months.

‎This week I saw a Reddit post where someone mentioned people buying accounts online. I've been desperately missing New World, so I took a chance and bought an account. And guess what? IT WORKS. I'M BACK IN AETERNUM!

‎Obviously, it's not the same as having my old character. My PlayStation progress doesn't transfer to Steam, so I've lost all my old weapons, gear and progression. ‎ ‎And I REALLY miss my bow and Crescent Wave and I'll probably never get all of my artifacts back again. ‎ ‎But I don't care, I'm playing New World again. ‎The account I bought was level 22. I've continued where the previous owner left off and I'm already level 50 and just got to Brightwood.

‎Right now I'm not even worried about endgame. I'm just enjoying the journey and trying to level my way back to Elysian Wilds.

‎I haven't felt this excited about a game in ages. ‎ ‎The world definitely feels quieter than I remember. I don't recognise any of the names I see in chat anymore. There aren't nearly as many people talking. ‎ ‎But there are still people there. ‎People looking for groups. ‎World tours are still happening. ‎Players are still gathering, crafting and running around Aeternum. ‎There are still people trying to keep this game alive. ‎ ‎And today I was running around and heard someone mining somewhere nearby. ‎ ‎That familiar sound of someone hitting a mining node... ‎ ‎CLINK... CLINK... CLINK... ‎Happiness. ‎ ‎Because after six months away, I realised something: ‎ ‎I really missed this place. ‎ ‎I even told my daughter that I'd managed to get New World again and I'm so happy. ‎ ‎Her response? ‎ ‎ ‎"Yeah me too. Now u can stop eyeing your wishlist longingly on the PS5." ‎ ‎Maybe Aeternum isn't as busy as it once was. Maybe a lot of the people I knew have moved on. ‎But there are still players here. ‎ ‎So I'm starting over. ‎New character. New weapons. New journey. ‎ ‎I think I have enough time to make it back to Elysian Wilds before the game eventually gets sunset. ‎ ‎And maybe I'll never get my old gear back. ‎But right now it's just good to be back playing the game. ‎ ‎


r/newworldgame 3d ago

Discussion Heartbroken

111 Upvotes

I bought New World on its first day of launch. On my first day of playing i somehow got temporarily banned immediately after killing a turkey (?).

For whatever reason I put the game down and didnt touch it again until a couple of weeks before Nighthaven was releasing. I booted up a new character and had the most fun in an MMO I'd ever had.

The dungeons were the main thing for me. It bummed me out that veterans were speed running them, but after asking them nicely most of them would slow down to show me the ropes on how to clear it.

But of all the amazing things New World offered me: from the action combat, the sounds of mining and logging, the dungeons, the world boss, the story bosses and pvp which i sucked at - the one thing most memorable to me was the bison.

I was trying to level up my skinning in an area with bisons, and I saw one of them just.. lie down on its back and roll around in the grass for a bit, before getting back up.

Have you ever seen that shit? In any other games? I wish I could find a video to show you guys but that shit got me thinking - wow the devs seriously put a lot of heart into this game.

I'm from SEA and im pretty sure the Asia server is empty. Valhalla seems like I'd be on 400 ping.

I might come back just to finish off the Nighthaven story quests, but damn you Amazon you really crushed me.


r/newworldgame 2d ago

Question Great Cleave?

4 Upvotes

Hello, Is great cleave any good for pvp xp anymore?(assuming it ever was) I went there a few weeks ago and it was pretty much deserted. Thank you!


r/newworldgame 2d ago

Question Arena 3vs3 waiting time

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0 Upvotes

Is that still a normal waiting time for this situation, or not really?


r/newworldgame 4d ago

Discussion Best experience and goosebump moments

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443 Upvotes

I remember back in the days ..when the game was released and our group of 20 people were sitting many hours like this..man that was such fun time. And the first time joining the servers, first grind, first levels …first gear ..
Never forget ✌🏻


r/newworldgame 4d ago

Transmog Best Drip/transmog

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70 Upvotes

Logged in to immortalised the character drip

Lemmengo first

Healer set and dps set


r/newworldgame 5d ago

Discussion From August 2020 Until the End — Thank You for the Memories, New World ❤️

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650 Upvotes

These are two of the very few pictures I still have from my time in New World.
I started playing back in August 2020, and even then, I thought there was something truly special about this game. Sure, it had its bugs, its problems, and plenty of rough moments — but somehow, none of that mattered enough to take away what made New World special to me.
I was there from the beginning. I watched the world change, experienced the highs and the lows, explored Aeternum, fought countless battles, met people along the way, and created memories that will stay with me long after the servers are gone.
I honestly wish I had taken more screenshots. But maybe that’s also a good thing. Most of the best moments aren’t sitting in a folder somewhere — they’re memories.
It’s incredibly sad to see New World end this way. Despite all its flaws, it gave me years of adventures, beautiful places to explore, unforgettable moments, and a world I genuinely enjoyed returning to.
So this isn’t really goodbye to just a game. It’s goodbye to a place that was part of my life for years.
Thank you for the journey, Aeternum. ❤️
Maybe somewhere, in another world, our paths will cross again.
Rest in peace, New World. ✌️


r/newworldgame 5d ago

Image See ya my dear

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342 Upvotes

I will miss this world.

This pictures where taken in the 1.0, before the release of all the extra content. Truly a beautiful world.


r/newworldgame 4d ago

Question Is Nysa still populated? Should I go Valhalla with higher ping or Nysa with less players?

6 Upvotes

I would ideally go with valhalla but I'm worried about the ping. I'm in western europe.


r/newworldgame 5d ago

Image The sound was amazing

156 Upvotes

The sound of the pickaxe reverberating across the land was awesome.

Good bye old friend.


r/newworldgame 5d ago

Video Will miss my New World home

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174 Upvotes

r/newworldgame 5d ago

Discussion i miss new world gang

102 Upvotes

..


r/newworldgame 6d ago

Image Old screenshots

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418 Upvotes

this game will always have a special place in my heart.