Amazon Games has announced it will soon take its beloved action RPG, New World, to new heights with the upcoming New World: Aeternum. Aeternum refreshes the entire game in several key ways while also adding a bevy of new content for players to explore, whether they’re brand-new to the Eternal Isle or seasoned adventurers. On Oct. 15, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players will be able to embark on their first journey into the expansive world of Aeternum, teeming with loot, epic battles, and thrilling team-based expeditions. Meanwhile, the existing dedicated New World community on PC can look forward to a refined experience with all-new features, including breathtaking cinematics, an enhanced combat system, and enriched storylines. Best of all, New World: Aeternum is poised to expand and invigorate the New World community with its simultaneous release across PC and console.
We sat down with Katy Kaszynski, Senior Producer at Amazon Games, and Dave Maldonado, Lead Console Designer for New World: Aeternum, to get their insights about what PC players can expect specifically.
Welcoming a broader audience to the New World community
New World: Aeternum making its console debut spells good news for the game’s existing PC community. With support for cross-platform play, PC players can soon connect with a new set of players via PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, expanding the game’s community and enhancing the multiplayer experience.
“PC players will benefit from all the influx of new folks coming in from the console,” Kaszynski said. “It's one of the best things about a multiplayer game on its launch day, and you get to see all those other people in the world with you. As we saw with the Brimstone Sands launch and Rise of the Angry Earth, our PC audience loves that. They love taking advantage of those opportunities to do the day-one rush again; this time, they will do it with brand-new folks. And they'll get to experience that new first content with them. It's going to be exciting.”
New World: Aeternum – fueled by player feedback
New World: Aeternum has been a massive undertaking for Maldonado, Kaszynski, and the rest of the talented folks at Amazon Games. And as always, these exciting new additions to the game are made possible by valuable feedback from fans.
“There's the Amazon principle of customer obsession, which we especially take to heart,” Kaszynski said. “I am also player-obsessed in our conversations about future content, what we should work on, and what should be prioritized. We always bring up, and I mean always, the player sentiment around the game, what our players have been saying on Reddit, and what our telemetry tells us from how players behave in the game, and whether or not that backs up the decisions that we're making. So, how players engage with the game has a massive impact, not just what they tell us, but how they behave in-game.”
Of course, the New World community is always eager for new adventures, and New World: Aeternum will also deliver a raft of new content for all players to enjoy, including the game’s first raid (supporting up to 10 players), an exciting new player vs. player (PvP) zone, and much more. The whole team looks forward to sharing more details in the near future.
A major overhaul to New World’s narrative experience
One of the biggest updates that long-term players will immediately notice is the comprehensive, overarching effort to enhance the immersive, cinematic qualities in New World: Aeternum. This manifests in several ways, such as new story-driven cut scenes that offer more context and depth to the game’s already layered mythology, an all-new dialog system and much more.
“Players appreciated the level of storytelling in our Brimstone Sands update, and our goal with Aeternum was to bring all of the game up to that level. The overall story’s been enriched with new characters, story beats, and solo boss battles, in addition to many new in-game cinematics and animated sequences,” said Maldonado. “The new dialogue system is much more immersive, too, with custom cameras and animations to create a real sense of conversation between the player and characters. The end result feels like a much more story-driven game.”
Enhanced character-creation system
New and current players, get ready to dive into the updated character creation system. “The quality of the modeling and the art on the characters and the heads in particular has all been redone,” Kaszynski said. “There are additional heads, around 68, I think. There's a bunch of new hairstyles, a bunch of new facial hair, a bunch of new tattoos, a bunch of new facial features: everything from pigmentation to scars. There’s a whole lot of stuff for players to dive into. It's a world of possibilities waiting for you to explore and create your unique character.”
A more tactile combat system
Evolving the overall combat in New World: Aeternum is another area where the team focused much effort to ensure players will have the best experience possible while taking down foes on the battlefield.
“The major combat updates are a new, more dynamic camera mode, more visceral hit reactions, and target locking. We’ve also added aim assist for gamepad play,” Maldonado said. “The new camera lets players attack, defend, and move in any direction, without being bound to camera facing. This is where target lock really shines, allowing incredible freedom of movement while keeping your enemies in sight.”
The new hit reactions are a significant addition to New World: Aeternum, giving players an even more immersive experience as they dive into combat. “These really showcase the weight and impact of player attacks; you’re now able to stagger enemies, interrupt their attacks, or even send them flying. It looks and plays great,” Maldonado said.
