PLANS TO DETHRONE WORLD OF WARCRAFT
AMAZON’S NEW WORLD
HOW
By Matthew Byrd
Amazon's New World MMO finally entered closed beta earlier this week, and some gamers are already calling it a World of Warcraft killer. Here are just some of the reasons why.
New World is an MMORPG that tasks players with establishing settlements on a supernatural island through both cooperation and competition.
In fact, one of New World's best features is its PvP system that allows players to participate in massive open-world battles that help decide who controls the game's various territories.
Yes, players can own territories in New World. In fact, settlement members can elect a governor who helps decide how they're run. It's a fascinating MMO mechanic.
The constant battle between factions and territories should help ensure that New World always offers players something to do as well as an emotional investment in the game's power dynamic.
Not only does New World emphasize player communities in a way that World of Warcraft does not, but it addresses one of WoW's biggest mainstream issues: its slower RPG gameplay.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
New World utilizes a more modern style of "real-time" action gameplay that Amazon hopes will appeal to those who find WoW's traditional RPG style a bit boring.
That doesn't mean New World abandons the RPG part of MMORPGs. In fact, its robust character-building system places few restrictions on a player's ability to build their ideal character at any time.
That's the heart of New World's plan to dethrone WoW. The game is trying to offer a more modern MMO for non-genre fans as well as an exciting alternative for WoW fans who are falling out of love.
It won't be easy, though. New World developers will have to balance its ambitious community systems as well as overcome Amazon's recent history of video game failures.
More importantly, New World faces significant competition from Final Fantasy 14: another MMO that many veteran WoW players are jumping ship to.
Yet, New World's blend of advanced player interactions, exciting real-time combat, and traditional RPG adventures has the potential to be something special.