All articles tagged with #amazon games
Amazon is winding down support for the MMO New World following mass layoffs affecting over 14,000 roles across the company, with the game's last content updates released and servers to remain active until 2026. The company is shifting focus away from MMOs to other projects like Amazon Luna and upcoming titles, while expressing gratitude to players for their support.
Amazon's New World will enter maintenance mode, with no new content updates planned after Season 10 and Nighthaven, but servers will remain operational through 2026, allowing players to continue their adventures in Aeternum. The game will still be available for purchase and download, with ongoing support to keep it running smoothly, though no further content development is expected.
Crystal Dynamics announced layoffs due to evolving business conditions, but the development of the new Tomb Raider game remains unaffected, with the project still in progress and expected to be revealed soon.
Amazon Games and NCSoft's upcoming MMORPG, Throne and Liberty, has launched its closed beta, garnering feedback from players. Impressions highlight the game's impressive visual fidelity and solid technical performance, but raise concerns about the combat, character gear, and potential microtransactions. The beta ends on April 17, with more insights expected as the trial period continues.
Crystal Dynamics is working on a new Tomb Raider game that will bring Lara Croft back to her acrobatic roots, as hinted by artwork found on a new Tomb Raider website. The game is expected to be the "biggest, most expansive Tomb Raider title to date" and will be published by Amazon Games following an announcement in late 2022.
Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG provide an update on Lost Ark, celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of Western service and outlining plans for 2024, including the release of new classes and content, events to support player progression, and server and region merges. The Road to Thaemine event is moved to March to prepare players for the Breaker Class, while new and returning events are introduced to aid player progression. Thaemine's release in April will include a special race for the first clear, and server and region merges are planned to enhance the group gameplay experience.
Smilegate RPG and Amazon Games explain the process of bringing balance updates from Korea to the West for the game Heroes of Arkesia. The base build, which includes hundreds of updates, is prepared by Smilegate RPG and applied to the West build after removing or rearranging content specific to Korea. Simultaneous releases are challenging, but significant improvements may be brought to the West separately from the base build. QoL and balance updates are typically made every three months, with rebalancing occurring after release. Amazon Games is exploring ways to release balance updates more quickly in the West.
Amazon Games is laying off 180 employees in its games division, with the Crown Twitch channel being eliminated and the game growth teams being affected. This is the second wave of layoffs the division has faced this year. The gaming industry has seen numerous layoffs in 2022, including those at Free Radical Design, Ubisoft, Bungie, Microsoft, Striking Distance Studios, BioWare, Ascendant Studios, Naughty Dog, Telltale Games, and Media Molecule.
Amazon Games and NCSoft are offering a technical test for their upcoming free-to-play MMO, Throne and Liberty, allowing players to participate in large-scale battles, explore dungeons, and engage in guild battles. The test will run from September 19 to October 3, with crossplay between PC and console. Feedback from the test will be used to improve the game, which is set for a global release in 2024. Interested players can sign up on the website, but must adhere to a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that the development of the next Tomb Raider game in collaboration with Amazon Games and Perfect Dark with The Initiative won't be affected by the recent layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures at its parent company Embracer Group. The restructuring comes after an undisclosed $2 billion deal fell through for the company in May.
The MMORPG Blue Protocol, developed by Amazon Games and Bandai Namco Online, has been delayed in the west until 2024. The game will launch in Japan on June 14th and will be free-to-play. A PC closed beta test will be held in 2023, with pre-registration now open on the game's Japanese website. Blue Protocol will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The developers of The Lord of the Rings Online have reassured fans that their game is not going away following the announcement of Amazon Games' new Lord of the Rings MMO. LOTRO developer Standing Stone Games said that Middle-earth Enterprises, which controls the rights to the series, continues to be "huge fans" of the game, which is now in its seventeenth year of continuous operation. The new Lord of the Rings game from Amazon won't be here anytime soon, so the game and LOTRO won't be going head-to-head anytime soon.
Amazon Games CEO, Christoph Hartmann, discusses the company's rollercoaster ride in the gaming industry, including cancellations, layoffs, and recent successes such as Lost Ark and a new Tomb Raider game in development. He also talks about the upcoming Lord of the Rings MMO, which will be a complete reboot of the canceled project and the company's most ambitious undertaking yet. Hartmann acknowledges the lessons learned from New World's launch and emphasizes the importance of taking risks and capturing the minds of millions of people. The company is also expanding into the console market and continuing to focus on live service games.
Amazon Games and Embracer Group have announced a partnership to develop and publish a new MMO game based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The game will be an open-world MMO adventure in a persistent world set in Middle-earth, featuring the beloved stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy. The game is in early stages of production, with Amazon Games Orange County leading development. Amazon Games will publish the game globally for PC and consoles. Additional details, including launch timing, will be shared at a later date.
Lost Ark's May update, set to release on May 10, 2023, includes the fifth Warrior Advanced Class and female Berserker, The Slayer, as well as progression events to help players level up quickly. The update also features Punika Powerpass, new Item Level 1340 gear, Hyper Express Event II, and engraving support system. Additionally, Lost Ark will release Ebony Cube, quality of life updates, new player improvements, and special cosmetics.