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A big array of updates to New World has brought a surge of renewed player interest and positive sentiment for Amazon's MMO.
New World launched in September 2021 as one of the most popular games in the history of Steam, with a concurrent player peak of 953k users - the seventh-highest ever recorded on the platform. But over the course of about six months, those player numbers dwindled dramatically, down to daily peaks around the 30k range – which is still a sizeable population for a live game, to be fair. But a range of exploits and technical issues drove many players away, and the slow rollout of new content wasn't enough to bring them back.
But on October 17, 2022, New World implemented its Brimstone Sands update, introducing a massive new zone, a completely revamped experience for new players, and more. On November 2, the devs introduced Fresh Start Worlds - a way for new and returning players to get in on the ground floor of untouched servers.
Add to that a temporary 50% discount and a massive Twitch campaign for promotion, and it's paying off in a big way. New World's daily concurrent player peaks are now in the 100k range, as SteamDB shows, the best they've been since the start of the year. Obviously, that's nowhere near its launch numbers, but it indicates a healthy playerbase that's in line with Steam's biggest hits, at least for the moment.
Responses from all the new and returning players in the wake of the recent changes are very positive, too. Literally - recent Steam reviews show a 'very positive' rating, compared with the game's 'mixed' response from earlier players.
It remains to be seen, of course, if New World will keep these players around for the long haul. But the interest in these recent updates does suggest that the MMO has found a solid foundation to bring players back.
Check out our guide to the best MMORPGs if you're looking for a way to spend your next 1,000 hours.
