I was really bummed to hear that Amazon is shutting down New World: Aeternum next year. It’s so disappointing when a game you’ve enjoyed gets taken offline, and it looks like we’ll all lose access to our characters and progress. I remember when it first came out in September 2021 – everyone was playing! It was huge for a while, but sadly, the player base just dropped off pretty quickly, and it seems like the game just couldn’t keep up over time.
After the news that the online game New World: Aeternum will shut down in 2027, a surprising offer emerged: someone pledged $25 million to save it, stating that ‘games shouldn’t be allowed to disappear.’
Will Facepunch Keep New World: Aeternum Alive?
On social media, Alistair McFarlane, the director of Rust and COO at Facepunch Studios, said:
25m, final offer Amazon Games
Followed by a statement:
Games should never die.
The initial post referenced a joke by a Facepunch employee about asking someone named ‘Ali’ to purchase the game New World for them, only to be rejected with an expletive. This detail has led some users to question whether the messages supposedly from McFarlane are genuine, though anything is possible, as we’ve seen surprising events happen before.
As the comments unfolded, McFarlane explained when asked what Amazon should do for the players:
At Facepunch, we always aim to empower our players. We want to give them control and allow anyone to host their own servers. A strong, dedicated community is what keeps a game alive for years to come.
In October 2025, Amazon laid off staff and stopped developing New World: Aeternum. Then, on January 15th, they announced the game would permanently shut down in 2027.
A long-standing debate in the gaming community recently flared up again when Ubisoft took its game, The Crew, offline. This decision led to significant backlash from players and ultimately resulted in a lawsuit.
There’s been a lot of discussion recently about online games being shut down, and many people strongly believe these games should remain accessible indefinitely.
Grant Taylor-Hill
Grant’s love of video games began in his earliest years with the Amstrad CPC, even before he could walk well. He’s now a skilled gamer on many different platforms, and his passion for gaming hasn’t faded.
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2026-01-18 11:18