Amazon's MMO New World gets a third delay and updated beta details

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The MMO has been pushed back more than a year

New World
(Image credit: Amazon Game Studios)

Amazon Game Studios has delayed its upcoming MMORPG New World once again, this time pushing it to August 31, 2021. 

New World was previously delayed from May to August 2020, and it was more recently pushed to spring 2021. Compared to its second delay, this move to August 31 is comparatively small. Amazon is also speaking in more specific terms with regards to dates and time frames, so while this isn't necessarily the game's final delay, it seems that New World is coming into some form. 

"We've been hard at work on compelling end-game features we believe are important to include at launch," a development update explains. "These features won't be ready for the spring timeframe that we had communicated." Amazon Game Studios also affirmed that it's used feedback from previous play tests to polish combat, improve quest variety, add more weapon and armor options, overhaul crafting, "and continue to add mid-game and end-game content." This lines up with the slightly vague reasoning for the game's previous delay. 

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Many of these newly added features will be available in the New World closed beta test, which is now scheduled to launch on July 20. That includes the new Ebonscale Reach end-game zone, five-player instanced activities called Expeditions, and 20v20 PvP battles in Outpost Rush. Anyone who's pre-ordered the game will get access to the beta. Alpha testing will also continue in the months ahead, with EU servers to come on March 30. 

Late last year, we went hands-on with New World in the wake of the collapse of Crucible, the latest release from Amazon Game Studios, and found it to be almost dangerously ambitious. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.