"Attention Adventurers,
We are extremely excited as we head toward Closed Beta on July 20.
Our vision for New World is to create a game where PvP and PvE play styles will not just coexist but will complement each other. Our goal is to create a world where incredible natural beauty is contrasted with supernatural danger. We set out to tell the story of how the allure of Azoth has drawn people from nations around the world—and how the Corruption that awaits them in Aeternum has impacted them over the centuries. We also wanted to create an MMO with action combat that felt great at scale. Most of all, we wanted to craft a world that players could get lost in for hours and hours. I feel that we've achieved our vision by striking the right balance with our new content and features.
In the past months, our focus has been on adding new features and content. You can read about our most recent changes in the May Alpha release notes. Following the May Alpha release, we will be focused on bugs, polish, performance, and diving deep into balance to deliver a quality experience at launch.
With all that in mind, we plan to continue Alpha Testing until July 6. We will continue inviting more players to help us test until Alpha Test closure. Closed Beta will launch on July 20.
We are extremely grateful for the support and enthusiasm the New World community continues to show. It is humbling and encouraging. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the past year. We have been busy adding new zones like Reekwater and Ebonscale, new weapons and weapon skill trees, we have overhauled crafting, reworked questing and added voiceover. We have added Fishing, Duels, Expeditions, Outpost Rush, new creatures, and enhanced UI, and made countless other important improvements to make us ready for our August launch.
Again, I want to thank you all for your patience through the development process. You’ve helped us craft this experience. We have been in the world playing with you; actively reading all of your feedback, comments, forum posts, and tweets; listening to shows; and watching video content. All of this has contributed to our ability to deliver a game we hope you’ll love.
Remember, launch is Day 1. It is just the beginning for us, and we will continue to grow Aeternum, add features, and partner with our players to shape New World.
See you in Aeternum!
- Scot"
https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/may-alpha-update-from-the-developers