According to Reuters, Amazon’s new round of lay-offs represents 10 percent of its corporate workforce, which doesn’t take into account employees at fulfillment centers and warehouses. It is part of the company’s efforts at “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.” Interestingly, these lay-offs won’t really hit Amazon Game Studios itself, with the focus being on retail, Amazon Web Services, Prime Video, and human resources.

Amazon Game Studios faced a major round of job cuts back in October as part of larger lay-offs affecting more than 14,000 employees at the company. Due to this development on MMORPG New World: Aeternum had been stopped, with the Season 10 update being its final one. While servers for the MMO will remain live until January 31, 2027, the game itself has been delisted from online storefronts, preventing others from checking it out during its final year.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion,” wrote the studio on its official blog. ”We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you. Together, we built something special. While we are saddened to say goodbye, we’re honored that we were able to share so much with the community.”

With the servers going down next year, Amazon Game Studios has also confirmed that the in-game store in New World: Aeternum will be taken down on July 20, 2026, which in turn will prevent players from buying any more Marks of Fortune. Refunds also won’t be issued for any purchased Marks.

While no new content is in the works for New World: Aeternum, the studio has noted that it will continue to provide support for the game through patches, fixing any notable bugs or other issues that might pop up in the meantime.

“It has been our pleasure to work on New World: Aeternum and evolve this unforgettable adventure with you all. We look forward to one more year together, and giving this fantastic adventure a sendoff worthy of a legendary hero. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you for sharing this world with us,” said the development team in its announcement.

New World: Aeternum served as a major reset for the floundering MMORPG, having come out in October 2024. Thanks to Aeternum, New World was able to target consoles alongside its original PC release. It also introduced a new main story that would take players from level 1 to 65, with a larger focus on worldbuilding and storytelling. For more details, check out our review of New World: Aeternum.

BREAKING: Amazon Game Studios boss Christoph Hartmann (formerly head of 2K) is leaving the company, Bloomberg News has learned, as Amazon continues its retreat from the PC and console video-game space in favor of its cloud gaming service Luna.

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2026-01-28T17:41:15.844Z

While newer players interested in checking out New World: Aeternum can no longer get their hands on the title, players that had already purchased it will continue to have access for the next year. Since no new content is being made for it anymore, the developers have also confirmed that the entire year will have the Nighthaven season running until the servers are shut down.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion,” wrote the studio on its official blog. “”We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you. Together we built something special. While we are saddened to say goodbye, we’re honored that we were able to share so much with the community.”

“It has been our pleasure to work on New World: Aeternum and evolve this unforgettable adventure with you all. We look forward to one more year together, and giving this fantastic adventure a sendoff worthy of a legendary hero. From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you for sharing this world with us.”

In an FAQ section on the official website, the developers have also confirmed that the in-game store will be taken down on July 20, 2026, preventing players from buying Marks of Fortune, among other things. Refunds will also not be issued for Marks of Fortune that have been purchased.

Amazon Game Studios had announced that development on New World: Aeternum was coming to an end back in October 2025. At the time, the developers had noted that the game will be available to purchase and play “until further notice”. Coinciding with the ending of its development, the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion had also been made free for all PC players.

“As New World recognizes its fourth anniversary since launching on PC, we reflect on an incredible journey shaped by our dedicated player community,” Amazon Game Studios wrote at the time. “Your feedback and passion have been instrumental in evolving Aeternum into the world it is today, and our team is deeply grateful for this shared adventure. After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates.”

New World: Aeternum getting killed off as part of a longer series of lay-offs that had hit Amazon last year. Reports had indicated that more than 14,000 employees were affected across its various divisions, including video games. The company had noted at the time that it was shifting its focus from major AAA games to “casual and AI-focused games”, and is part of its shift to “leaning into things that Amazon does best.”

For more details on New World: Aeternum, check out our review.

March of Giants has been described as being an “ambitious new entrant” in a genre that has largely been dominated by two games—Valve’s Dota 2 and Riot Games’ League of Legends. Much like these two, the gameplay revolves around lane-based combat where two teams vie for victory over each other by destroying each others’ bases, and will have a focus on “tactical depth” and “meaningful team play”.

Ubisoft’s acquisition of the rights to March of Giants also comes shortly after the title’s closed alpha tests, which was revealed as seeing quite a positive response. According to this announcement, 98 percent of the closed alpha participants described March of Giants as bringing something new to the genre. The team behind the MOBA include veteran developers Xavier Marquis as creative director and Alexandre Parizeau as senior production leader, who have also worked with Ubisoft in the past. Marquis, for instance, was the original creative director for Rainbow Six Siege, while Parizeau had worked at Ubisoft Toronto.

“Returning to Ubisoft brings things full circle,” said Marquis in a press release. “We built some of our most meaningful work here, and we’re excited to continue developing March of Giants from within Ubisoft. This game has enormous potential, and I know Ubisoft can help us take it to the next level.”

“My thanks go to Amazon for their commitment during the first chapters of March of Giants,” said Parizeau. “Our closed alpha was an important milestone and showed a glimpse of the game’s real promise. Now, by joining Ubisoft, we’re uniting behind a shared vision to build March of Giants into one of the next great, enduring MOBAs.”

Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot has described March of Giants as being a “real opportunity” for the company that would help it expand into one of the most-played multiplayer genres in gaming. Along with this, he also welcomed back veteran developers Marquis and Parizeau to Ubisoft.

“March of Giants has a real opportunity to bring something fresh and dynamic to players, and to help Ubisoft compete in one of gaming’s biggest arenas,” said Guillemot. “We’re looking forward to welcoming back Alexandre, Xavier, and many of the seasoned March of Giants team who have previously worked at Ubisoft, and the entire team’s ambition, creativity and talent align perfectly with our desire to build bold new experiences for players. We look forward to supporting them as they shape the future of this promising new IP.”

March of Giants is being developed for PC and doesn’t yet have a release date.

In a post, along with offering a pencil sketch of an Allosaurus, Douglas also noted that he would have preferred the series to explore new settings rather than going back to the ones we have already seen. He also alluded to the pressure that the developers of the original Tomb Raider had been under back in the 1990s when making the game with the tight-knit crew of six people.

“She’s back apparently,” wrote Douglas. “Personally I’d prefer exploring new lost worlds than another remake/remaster/reimagining of something we crafted under intense duress in the 90’s. Fingers crossed, eh.”

In another post, Douglas wrote more positively about both of the Tomb Raider games’ announcements. While he acknowledged the need for “another 90%+ [Tomb Raider]”, since the first one in the franchise is the only one to get over 90 on Metacritic, he also noted that the two titles both look visually stunning.

“There needs to be another 90%+ TR after all this time,” he wrote. “I’m quite looking forward to seeing both new games now. Visually they are stunning, something we only dreamed of 30 years ago. We will have to wait and see if the gameplay and resulting feelings of exploration and adventure are as good.”

Both Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst were both unveiled during The Game Awards 2025 with their own trailers. While Catalyst seems to represent the next big step for the franchise, Legacy of Atlantis is essentially a remake of the 1996 original.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and will seemingly see some changes made to its story to tie it into what has been referred to as the Unified Timeline, which is essentially an effort to re-establish the lore and continuity of the series.

As for Tomb Raider: Catalyst, game director Will Kerslake discussed the title’s story, and how it is set to take place after the events of 2008’s Tomb Raider: Underworld. In an interview, Kerslake also confirmed that the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy is also canon to the Unified Timeline, serving as protagonist Lara Croft’s origin story.

“What’s important to know is that this is a new chapter in Tomb Raider,” he said. “So whether you followed Lara from the start, or this is your first Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst is designed to stand on its own as an adventure that can be enjoyed by everyone.”

Neither Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis nor Tomb Raider: Catalyst have release dates. Both titles are being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and while the former has a 2026 release window, the latter is slated for 2027.

Rawr! She's back apparently. Personally I'd prefer exploring new lost worlds than another remake/remaster/reimagining of something we crafted under intense duress in the 90's. Fingers crossed, eh.Dinosaurs will always be cool though…

— Paul Douglas (@cnhyv.bsky.social) 2025-12-11T12:07:16.317Z

There needs to be another 90%+ TR after all this time… I'm quite looking forward to seeing both new games now. Visually they are stunning, something we only dreamed of 30 years ago. We will have to wait and see if the gameplay and resulting feelings of exploration and adventure are as good.

— Paul Douglas (@cnhyv.bsky.social) 2025-12-14T19:45:36.761Z

In the interview, Kerslake confirmed that the reboot trilogy will also be somewhat canon to the story of Tomb Raider: Catalyst, serving as the origin story for protagonist Lara Croft. The story proper, however, is set some time after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld. “From a timeline perspective, Tomb Raider: Catalyst is set years after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, with the reboot trilogy serving as her origin story, so we’re seeing a more experienced Lara Croft,” he explained.

As for where exactly Tomb Raider: Catalyst will fall in the timeline, Kerslake wasn’t too clear about this. Chances are high that it will likely end up taking not too long after Tomb Raider: Underworld, since Lara Croft’s age will be a major concern in that regard. Despite this, however, Kerslake has noted that it will be a brand new chapter in the long-running series. This also means that players don’t have to worry about all of the baggage from the older games, and can simply enjoy the newest entry even if they haven’t played the series before.

“What’s important to know is that this is a new chapter in Tomb Raider,” he said. “So whether you followed Lara from the start, or this is your first Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Catalyst is designed to stand on its own as an adventure that can be enjoyed by everyone.”

Tomb Raider: Catalyst was unveiled with a trailer that gave us our first look at the new Lara Croft. The title is slated to take Lara Croft on a brand new adventure that takes place across Northern India. In the wake of a mythical cataclysm, ancient secrets have been unleashed, leading to the awakening of mysterious forces. This has also meant that there are plenty of treasure hunters on the look out to get their hands on the precious artifacts in the region, and among them is Lara Croft.

While Tomb Raider: Catalyst doesn’t yet have a release date, the game is confirmed to be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, with Amazon Game Studios taking on publishing duties. The title is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. Developer Crystal Dynamics has also gone as far as to describe the game’s world as the largest one yet seen in any of the Tomb Raider games. This means that exploration will also be rewarded quite well with plenty of lost tombs featuring intricate puzzles that can be raided. In order to help Lara accomplish her goals, she will have access to plenty of tools, ranging from her classic dual pistols and grappling hook, to newer ones.

For more details about Tomb Raider: Catalyst, check out its announcement teaser trailer. Also check out the other Tomb Raider game unveiled at the event – Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.

Tomb Raider: Catalyst is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC with Amazon Game Studios serving as publisher. While its gameplay has yet to be showcased, the trailer does see Croft desperately navigating a collapsing tomb, wall-bouncing and clinging to massive terrain shifts. She quickly emerges to overlook an ancient city and it sure does lend credence to rumors that this could be an open-world title.

Stay tuned for more details on the Unreal Engine 5 title and announcements from The Game Awards. Thus far, we’ve seen a new Divinity, Control Resonant, Leon in Resident Evil Requiem and much more.

“This morning I was part of the layoffs at Amazon Games, alongside my incredibly talented peers on New World and our fledgling Lord of the Rings game (y’all would have loved it),” wrote Amrine in the since-deleted post. Amazon has yet to make any definitive statement about the fate of the project.

An MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings was first announced all the way back in May 2023, and was being developed by the team behind New World. The title was slated to be part of a licensing agreement that was signed between Amazon Games and Middle-earth Enterprises, which in turn is owned by Embracer Group.

Few details about the project had been confirmed, aside from the fact that it would feature the stories of the four core books from The Lord of the Rings – The Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The title was also slated to feature a persistent world where players could explore Middle-earth to quite an extent.

The cancellation of the project likely stems from the fact that Amazon is laying off more than 14,000 of its employees across various divisions, including its gaming studios. In an internal memo, the company said that its plans for game development going forward will revolve around “casual and AI-focused games”. It had also noted that development on the Tomb Raider title by Crystal Dynamics is also continuing.

Alongside the employees affected by the lay-offs, one of the bigger casualties of this has been Amazon Game Studios’ announcement that New World: Aeternum will no longer be getting any more content. The recently-released Season 10 and Nighthaven will serve as the final bit of content made for the MMORPG, and the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion has also been made free to PC players.

“As New World recognizes its fourth anniversary since launching on PC, we reflect on an incredible journey shaped by our dedicated player community,” wrote Amazon Game Studios in its announcement. “Your feedback and passion have been instrumental in evolving Aeternum into the world it is today, and our team is deeply grateful for this shared adventure. After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates.”

While there might not be any more content coming to New World: Aeternum, the studio has made assurances that the servers for the MMORPG will remain live until the end of 2026. Any changes to these plans are also slated to be announced with at least six months of notice provided to players.

The memo has also noted that the company is “leaning into things that Amazon does best,” and that it will continue with the development of some of its projects, including March of Giants, as well as “casual and AI-focused games”. Work on the Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider project is also seemingly continuing.

One of the projects affected by this is MMORPG New World: Aeternum. The development team has already announced that its last major content drop for the game – Season 10 and Nighthaven – will serve as the final bit of content. As part of this decision, the development team has also announced that the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion has been made free to all players on PC. Side activities, like world bosses and bonus weeks, will still take place. However, seasonal events will be getting cutbacks, with no more holiday events planned for the future.

While this might spell doom for the MMORPG, the studio has confirmed that its servers will remain live until the end of 2026. When the decision is ultimately made to shut down servers, the studio will provide a minimum of six months’ notice. Players across PC and console will also still be able to continue purchasing the game “until further notice.” Players subscribed to PlayStation Plus Extra or Premium will also still be able to access New World: Aeternum. The development team has also promised that support for the game will continue through the release of bug fixes, patches and server merges as required.

“As New World recognizes its fourth anniversary since launching on PC, we reflect on an incredible journey shaped by our dedicated player community,” wrote Amazon Game Studios in its announcement. “Your feedback and passion have been instrumental in evolving Aeternum into the world it is today, and our team is deeply grateful for this shared adventure. After four years of steady content updates and a major new console release, we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to continue supporting the game with new content updates.”

There is currently no word on whether these cutbacks are also going to affect another major MMO project in the works at Amazon – a game adapting the world of The Lord of the Rings. The company does seem to want to keep making smaller-scale projects for release on game streaming service Luna, however.

It is worth noting, however, that the scale of changes brought to New World as part of the Aeternum release isn’t quite on the scale of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which essentially completely remade two continents and changed up the entirety of the leveling experience from scratch, nor is it on the scale of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, which is basically a new game altogether when compared to the original release. New World: Aeternum, instead, focuses more on streamlining the core storyline of the game, offering new players a more focused experience that won’t leave them wandering around trying to figure out what’s happening.

"However, despite the improved pacing of the story, it’s still not really a particularly interesting one."

When it comes to this storyline streamlining, Amazon Games has quite definitely succeeded. The new take on the story provides an excellent prologue chapter that acts as a tutorial for the core mechanics of the game, and then drops you into its main world while giving you more than enough indications of where you should go and what you should do next. Generally speaking, the entire storyline is much better handled now, with the scope and pace of the storytelling rarely faltering.

However, despite the improved pacing of the story, it’s still not really a particularly interesting one. After the relatively bombastic prologue, the story grinds to a halt and gets you involved in local small-town politics, complete with a regent doing their best to lead their settlement while the ruler’s missing, and a minister that obviously has ulterior motives and might even be working against you the entire time. The story in New World: Aeternum is pretty trope-heavy, and there’s nothing deeper here than the grand good versus evil stories we’ve seen in several titles. Even the primary antagonist comes off as rather bland, especially since all she can seemingly do most of the time is throw taunts at you while impotently flailing her arms trying to cast spells.

Thankfully, however, the story’s just an excuse to set out into the world of Aeternum, and that’s one aspect where New World truly shines. Exploration and the world in general is such an important aspect of New World that even its non-combat gameplay systems revolve around it. Players can use a number of different trade skills, such as logging and mining to gather materials throughout the world. These gathering trade skills have their own progression track, with players being allowed to cut down bigger trees or mine for more fragile and fancy ores as they get further along. The materials procured can then be used to craft a variety of things, ranging from high-end equipment, end-game gear, buff-providing consumables, healing items, and even furniture, which can then be placed in your own house.

"The story’s just an excuse to set out into the world of Aeternum"

New World: Aeternum is one of those games where just living in its expansive world, even when you’re not actively out and about taking down giant bosses or fighting other players for PvP supremacy feels pretty nice. Thanks to the progression system of non-combat skills, deciding to spend multiple hours just cutting down trees in order to sell furniture to other players can have its own charms, and as a result, would also in the long-term lead to an interesting in-game economy with players freely trading with each other. These professions also feed into the housing system, where players can own their own house in the different cities throughout Aeternum, and decorate them with benches and trophies, among other things.

The combat itself is interesting, with New World leaving behind World of Warcraft’s tab-targeting system to instead feature a real-time combat system where attacks can be actively blocked or dodged, and player positioning, as well as aiming with ranged weapons are all important skills. All weapons tend to have two main actions with their weapons of choice, along with 3 abilities that can be unlocked and equipped. Using a greatsword on the PS5, for example, L2 blocks attacks, R2 h its enemies, and the various skills are equipped on L1, R1, and L1 + R1. Combine with the fact that you can equip two different weapons at any given time, and you essentially have an arsenal of 6 different abilities to play around with.

Your choice of weapons will also define your role for the content you choose to do, be it tanking with a sword and shield combination, rain down arrows on enemies as a damage dealer with a bow, snipe them from a distance with a musket, or heal allies with a staff. Magic users get additional choices with their choice of staff, with different elements all being represented, and healing being relegated to the Life staves. It’s worth noting that the main story of the game can be played with whatever loadout you might want, and even swapping between the different roles is quite encouraged.

"Your choice of weapons will also define your role for the content you choose to do"

As for what you can do aside from just following the story, New World: Aeternum has a few activities, with solo players mostly being let loose on the open world, and group players having access to 5-player dungeons, called Expeditions in this game, as well as a 10-player raid. Unfortunately, when it comes to PvE, that’s about all New World: Aeternum has to offer for endgame-centric players. If you’re into PvP, however, there are a lot more options, ranging from individual 1-on-1 duels to massive PvP battles with players of different factions fighting for control of a zone.

New World: Aeternum doesn’t seem too well suited for players that might enjoy the challenge presented by, for example, World of Warcraft’s endgame systems with its epic boss fights, and nor is its story anywhere near the quality of Final Fantasy 14’s main plot. It does, however, excel in offering more to do during the leveling process. While other MMORPGs might follow the old adage of “the real game starts once you hit level cap”, New World: Aeternum feels more comfortable in the leveling process, where you can simply decide to press pause on the story, head out into the forest, and cut down some trees.

Sure, this does mean that there won’t be much left to do once you’ve finished the story, done all the expeditions, and had your fill of PvP, and in the longer term, the game’s player base will definitely hurt for more content. Whether Amazon Games can maintain the renewed interest in New World thanks to its console release, however, will be something that becomes more evident in the long term.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Originally released with an in-game store selling cosmetics, New World will now also include a season pass among its monetisation methods. The season pass will feature 100-tier tracks for both paid and free players.

Each season pass will be priced at 20,000 Marks of Fortune—the microtransaction currency in the game—which roughly translates to a little under $19.99. Rewards in the season pass will include emotes, skins, gear, and Boost Tokens, among other content.

Players will be able to level up the season pass by taking part in New World‘s upcoming seasonal activities, including the Seasonal Journey, Challenges, and Activity Cards. Regular quests and other content will also provide XP for the season pass.

The first season, kicking off on March 28, will be called Fellowship & Fire, and will add a new story to the game, alongside a host of new content, including the new Empyrean Forge expedition.