Amazon has revealed the release date and deluxe edition bonuses for one of its debut titles, New World. As one of the first games allowing Amazon to break into the video game industry as a developer and publisher, New World is an open world MMORPG set in the mid-1600s.

The game takes place in an alternate Colonial period, tasking players with colonizing a fictional location inspired by British America in the Atlantic Ocean. Like traditional MMOs, New World will enable players to scavenge resources, craft items, fight enemies, and engage each other in player-versus-player combat. Players can venture out alone or group up with friends, utilizing different combat styles (melee, range, or magic) to overcome opponents.

According to Amazon, the game’s release date is May 26, 2020. In December 2019, the game’s official website announced the release date would be May 2020 but did not provide a specific date within that window. In addition, fans who pre-order the game will receive access to New World’s closed beta sometime in April 2020. Alongside the closed beta, those who pre-order will also be granted exclusive in-game content, such as Isabella’s amulet - a piece of equipment that gives players additional constitution and allows them to deal extra damage against certain supernatural enemies - a unique title (Expedition One), a Fist Bump emote, and a guild crest set.


Moreover, players who purchase the game’s deluxe edition will receive additional bonuses, including the Woodsman armor skin, Woodsman boarding axe skin, the mastiff house pet, the rock/paper/scissors emote set, and the New World digital art book. Both the standard and deluxe editions are available for pre-order on Amazon and Steam.

New World is an ambitious project by Amazon, entering a competitive industry in a genre that traditionally requires a decent time commitment from players. A lot of work goes into succeeding in MMOs, from learning how to craft, to grinding for the best gear in the game and making a good chunk of change in a virtual economy. A company unaccustomed to competing in such a tough market may bite off more than they can chew with such a bold project. Amazon, however, is no stranger to breaking into new areas. When the company launched Prime Video, even going so far as to produce original content, it had to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu, finding success with shows such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Given the company’s ability to tackle tough competition, New World may stand out in a market saturated with new content.

New World releases on May 26, 2020 and will be available on PC.