New World, the breakout MMORPG from Amazon, has been dealt a significant blow to it's playerbase as the game loses over 500,000 players in a single month.
Steam Charts presented the figures demonstrating the decline in players in Amazon Games' fantasy MMO. The average figures suggest that the game has been hemorrhaging players at a rate of approximately 135,000 per week since its release. The game's launch was actually rather successful, and Steam Charts states that its all-time peak of concurrent players was 913,027. However, that number has dwindled drastically since, with the numbers over the last 30 days averaging at 389,652.
The fantasy game is set on the fictional island of Aeternum, a location hosting a dark and malignant magic that raises the dead and corrupts the fauna. Like most MMOs, the game provides a variety of content options, including PvP, PvE and other roleplaying mechanics. While it was considered a hit at launch, the downward trend of the average player count is rather worrying for the longevity of the game. Unlike most single player games, the MMO model is more reliant on continuous player engagement, with the game being sustained by players interacting with the in-game store and purchasing any future expansions.
In many ways its not uncommon for numbers to fall in an MMO's playerbase after the initial hype of launch. Many players will join to follow the hype and then after experimenting with the game determine whether it's something they will stick around for. Many players get burnt out by the grind of MMOs and will abandon it during the early stages. However, even among the hardcore players that made it to the endgame, there is still a dramatic amount of players leaving the game.
Negative reviews have cited various issues with the game that are damaging the player experience. Outside of the previously mentioned grind, the endgame is lacking PvE content that only leaves players with the option to engage in PvP. The game is also plagued with many bugs that are frustrating players. Any players who come into the MMO hoping for a story will also end up disappointed, as there is a noticeable lack of story content to engage with.
It's also important to acknowledge that the MMO scene is a competitive one, with many players lacking the time or money to partake in multiple MMORPGs at the same time. At present, New World is up against other popular games like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. The latter is still undergoing a recent surge in popularity, and the hype surrounding the upcoming expansion Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker could be even more damaging to New World later this month.
Source: Steam Charts