New World player count is growing… very slowly
New World is an MMO only available on PC. More specifically, Steam. Unlike other MMOs, this game doesn’t require a subscription. However, the player base isn’t willing to stick around like other MMOs, even though they need a subscription, for the most part. Many would agree that New World has been a dying game over the past few months. It has lost around 90% of its player base within six months. This is not a good look for a game, especially an MMO. However, just because a game is dying doesn’t mean it can be brought back to life.
Many games have seen a resurgence in players months after release, even years. Look at games like Rust, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Final Fantasy 14. There have been plenty of times where games have gained players back and kept them there. Why can’t New World? While Final Fantasy 14 is the only MMO mentioned, the concept applies to all games.
Small Surge In Players
Based on Steam Charts, New World has seen an almost 3% player increase over the last month. Is that a lot? No, not even close. It could be the start of a new beginning. Considering every month since the game has released, players have been dropping like flies. Finally, seeing an uptick in players six months ago could mean something. Maybe, players are trying to get more New World coins before the following content and events drop. Considering Amazon Games Studios has just shown their content roadmap, players might have seen something interesting to them.
While the content roadmap didn’t give an exact date on when the new content would drop, we know which season it will release. Unique content always brings new and returning players to the game to try out the new game content. All of us are guilty of this. Sometimes things are too tempting not to try at least once. However, the new range also needs to keep players around for longing. If they grow bored of the new content within a week, the player count will drop again.
Amazon Game Studios need to offer players that are currently playing and returning to stay. This is easier said than done, but it is possible.
Will Players Stay?
With a slight increase of players, is it possible that those players will stick around? Only time will tell; however, there are multiple ways that Amazon Game Studios can do to keep the players’ attention. One way to help players stick with the game is to fix the bugs and endgame content. These are the two biggest culprits holding New World back from getting players to jump in. The amount of bugs that are frequent in this game is astonishing. Some bugs have been in the game since it was in Alpha and still haven’t been fixed.
The endgame content isn’t enough for players to stick around. Not only is the grind to get up there a hassle, but once you reach it, you don’t feel rewarded. The Expertise system also seems to receive a lot of hostile reception.
To keep new and returning players, weekly or monthly login rewards that contain New World gold and New World items are a straightforward way to at least combat players from leaving. A login reward is just a quick fix suggestion; fixing bugs and adding extensive, meaningful content that players want to continue to play should be their priority. However, content updates and expansions are slow, leading to a decline in players.
Listen To The Players
The best way that Amazon Game Studios can continue to gain players is by listening to the players. A lot of feedback has been shouted to the developers, yet some things remain the same. If players don’t expect things to change in their favor, what is the point of staying around?
For example, both RuneScape games offer polls for the community to vote on possible changes to the game. And they listen; this helps the developers and the players make a meaningful connection. However, New World is slowly working on player suggestions. People have been asking for more ways and faster ways to earn New World gold. But nothing has been done at the moment.
Actively communicating with the player base now could help with the current situation and increase the player percentage by another month.
Conclusion
With everything mentioned and New World in its current state, I don’t think the minimal influx of players will stay. The game has a lot of problems right now. However, if they were to implement a new or revamped Expertise system, fix the current bugs, and pump more content out every month, the player base would increase and stick around. It won’t ever reach the number of players it had at launch, but it can still help players stick around longer.
What are your thoughts on New World and the slight percentage increase of players?