After Amazon killed New World Aeternum by cancelling new content for it, just as players were starting to return to the game, it began putting the nails in New World's coffin today. First, by suddenly delisting the game as of today, January 15, 2026. Second, by announcing that the game will go offline on January 31, 2027.
A blog post on the official New World website begins explaining the news by saying it wanted to "provide transparency on where the game goes from here." Which, essentially, is nowhere. "New World: Aeternum will officially be taken offline from all platforms on January 31, 2027," reads the next line.
If you already have the game in your Steam library, then you'll still be able to play it for the remainder of this year, which Amazon previously promised would be the case. After December 31, 2026, though, you'll only have one more month to enjoy the MMORPG. If you don't have it in your library, then you've already missed your chance to grab it, as the purchase option has already been removed from the store page.
You can still purchase microtransactions, if you want, until July 20, 2026; however, Amazon Game Studios has made it clear that refunds will not be available for Marks of Fortune microtransaction purchases. Amazon Game Studios will also still monitor the servers and release bug fixes for the remainder of the game's life.
New content for New World was shut down after Amazon Game Studios was hit with "significant" layoffs as part of Amazon's mass 14,000+ company-wide layoff last year. After the studio was clear that it wouldn't be making new content for New World, it was clear that the game would be shut down at some point, so this news isn't exactly surprising.
It is, however, still disappointing. Amazon had succeeded where others failed by being a major company not previously involved in video games, which entered the industry and actually knocked it out of the park with a successful internally-built game. New World was putting up huge player numbers, and while it had previously fallen into a bit of a low period, just prior to the announcement that no more new content would be developed for it, players were starting to really return to the game.
"We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion," the blog post from Amazon Game Studios reads. "We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you. 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."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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