Amazon's MMO New World was warmly received at launch but has grown increasingly controversial as time passed and glitches arose. However, the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has put the spotlight back on New World as Amazon joins the ranks of companies taking a stand against the conflict. It seems that Amazon has shelved the in-progress Russian version of New World in protest of Russia's actions.
According to an interview with TechRadar Gaming, Vice President of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann confirmed that the company has stopped development on the Russian localization of New World. Amazon isn't the only company that has suspended activity in Russia to protest the invasion of Ukraine, but it may be one of the largest companies to do so.
The interview notes that Hartmann directly confirmed that the localization of New World had been suspended because of the war. It's unclear if Amazon will suspend other elements of its many services within Russia in the future or other games such as Lost Ark, which has been playable in Russia since 2019. Regardless, several other companies have already taken drastic action to make their positions against the conflict clear.
The tech giant Apple is no longer selling its products in Russia in an attempt to provide pressure on Russia to stop the attack on Ukraine. Development on the long-awaited STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl has been completely halted by its Ukrainian developer, Kyiv-based GSC Game World, until the war is over. Until then, GSC Game World reports that it is focused on ensuring the safety of its employees and their families, which may not be a surprise given the impact the invasion has had on Ukraine's gaming industry. The Pokemon Company has also recently released a statement announcing its support of Ukraine and a significant donation to humanitarian aid during the conflict.
Microsoft has also announced plans to suspend all new sales in Russia, including sales of Xbox units, a decision that may have more wide-reaching consequences than halting the localization of a single game, even New World. CD Projekt Red, which is based in Poland, has also declared plans to halt sales of the Witcher games and Cyberpunk 2077 in Russia and Belarus out of solidarity with Ukraine. While these actions taken by titans of the game industry may not be enough to end the war themselves, they certainly make it clear that Ukraine has a lot of support around the world.
New World is available now on PC.
Source: TechRadar