Company Amazon exits MMO. Studio Amazon Game Studios has decided to completely leave the massive online games segment. As part of this change, it will hand over the operation of its current projects to other developers and definitively shut down its own title. According to information from theverge.com, attractmo.de, and winfuture.de, these changes will take place gradually between 2026 and 2027.
End of New World and new strategy of Amazon Game Studios
The biggest impact will be felt by players of New World: Aeternum. This game has not been available for purchase since January and will be completely shut down on January 31, 2027. According to attractmo.de, Amazon announced in October 2025 that it would halt a large part of its own AAA game development, especially in the MMO genre. As part of this strategic change, the anticipated MMO set in the world of The Lord of the Rings was also canceled.
Amazon's current focus is now shifting to other areas. According to theverge.com and winfuture.de, the company is focusing on the Luna cloud service, party games for TVs using artificial intelligence (including characters Snoop Dogg and Arnold Schwarzenegger), and projects based on the James Bond and Tomb Raider franchises.
Handover of Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark
Operation of other titles will be handed over to the original developers. Amazon stated: "We are excited about the future of [the games] and feel this is a positive outcome for the game’s community, as we are handing the game back to the developers. This way, their passion... can continue to be realized, and players can continue their adventures."
- Throne and Liberty: Operational management will be taken over by FirstSpark Games and NC in the fourth quarter of 2026. According to winfuture.com, users will retain their characters and accounts if they agree to the data transfer.
- Lost Ark: Game management will be taken over by Smilegate at the beginning of 2027. Winfuture.de states that game progress, ships, and names will be preserved. However, for technical reasons, friend lists, guild data, and chat history will not be transferred.