I regret that one of our first articles is about a video game effectively dying. But it is timely: on October 28th, the devs behind New World announced that the latest “Nighthaven” update would be the final content release for the game.
I don’t like using the word “dying”. Usually I see it in the context of superficial metrics from cynics, like a game having less viewers than another on Twitch. Unfortunately it’s a very fitting description for New World. The sobering post by the dev team details that the game will still be playable with the servers staying alive through 2026. The official end of content updates is grave enough on it’s own, but the overall tone is clear.
Content is the lifeblood of an MMO. It’s the reason players continue to invest their time and money into the game. In fact, MMORPGs are one of the few genres where subscription fees have been generally acceptable. While not without controversy, most players are willing to tolerate a monthly cost to fund on-going development of story, raids, gear, and so on.
New World enjoyed a lot of publicity due to the fact that it did not charge a subscription fee. I doubt that it’s the only reason for the game’s decline but the relationship is hard to ignore.
Historically my gaming group has struggled to find an MMO that all of us enjoyed enough to stick with. New World was the first to capture all of us. We each fit naturally into our roles of healer, tank, and DPS. The crafting and gathering masteries were perfect for those of us that enjoy the grind, while others thrived on home ownership.
A few of the New World dungeons ran by our gaming group “Stuck with Us”
We were very addicted when the game first came out back in 2021. Content updates along with major changes to certain experiences in the game brought us back here and there but eventually the other cost of MMOs ended up winning: time. Most members of the group have real-world commitments and we simply moved on to other games.
But our time in New World remains one of my favorite experiences in video games. If our relatively short time in New World left such a sentimental mark, I can’t imagine how the larger player base feels. The announcement surely affects a very talented team of developers and artists as well. We can only hope that both creators and audience of New World are able to enjoy the game to the fullest and are able to find something quickly to fill the void left in their lives.
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