Amazon Games Orange County studio in Irvine plans to launch its “New World” online game in the spring of next year after two delays, as it beefs up local headcount and says it is “quite pleased” with the level of talent here.
“Our top priority in the near term is preparing New World for its 2021 launch. We’re quite pleased with the level of talent available in Orange County, and we’re actively hiring,” an Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) spokesperson said. The next phase of testing is set for next month.
Tech site The Verge and several gaming websites said the game was originally scheduled for release in May but was pushed back to August after feedback from beta testers, and now is slated for next year.
New World is set in the 17th century, and players colonize a fictional land loosely modeled after colonial America.
The Games studios in Irvine posted 34 open jobs on its website as of Oct. 15. The positions range from software development engineer to Senior Technical Game Designer—Alexa Games, while there are also open slots for the Luna team, Amazon’s new cloud gaming service.
Amazon Games website makes an unabashed pitch for living and working in Orange County, one of three bases for its video game business:
“Our studio sits in Irvine, a well-organized city that’s rated as one of the safest places to live in the U.S. The weather is unbeatable year-round and the education system is world-class. Surf in the morning, ski or mountain bike in the afternoon, or drive a half-hour to Disneyland—Orange County offers a quality of life that’s hard to beat!”
Crucible Canceled
Tech giant Amazon raised eyebrows earlier this month when it said it had canceled its Seattle-developed Crucible game. It was expected to be its initial release for its much-watched video game division, which has seen tens in millions of dollars in investments, according to reports.
“We have not reduced our workforce, and in fact are continuing to recruit. We’re adjusting our teams to align with current development priorities,” the Amazon spokesperson told the Business Journal, declining to specify the size of various teams.
New World recently completed a successful preview event with thousands of players, the company said. The MMO—massively multiplayer online game—will only be available on PC. It’ll cost about $50.
“New World” is an “open world” game, signifying a gaming virtual world in which players can explore and approach objectives with considerable freedom, much like Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft franchise.
November Testing
“Looking ahead, we will be launching our next phase of testing in November. This will be your chance to continue helping us test and develop New World. We will work very hard to keep everyone informed on our progress and improvements we make as we head towards launch,” the company said.
The OC studios are also developing the much anticipated “The Lord of the Rings” online game.
The game doesn’t have a publicly announced release date; it derives from the works of author J.R.R. Tolkien and is slated for PCs and consoles.
Orange County is considered an epicenter of gaming development, with Blizzard—OC’s largest software company by employee count—the dominant gaming firm here. Mike Morhaime, the former chief executive and co-founder of Blizzard, recently started a new venture, Dreamhaven, in Irvine.
