Another MMORPG exploit is discovered and Amazon shuts down the trading posts in New World for the third time.
To say that Amazon’s flagship MMO, New World, has had a rocky start would be an understatement. Despite a successful launch that saw over 900,000 concurrent players on Steam, the game has been plagued by game breaking issues and glitches ever since – and this time, an exploit in the game’s coin transfer system has forced Amazon to shut down New World’s trading posts, as well as the coin transfer system itself, for the third time.
The exploit allowed players to creatively manipulate game mechanics for the purpose of duplicating (or duping) difficult-to-craft items to sell on the game’s trading post for exorbitant prices, and dupers have used it to duplicate trophies in this case in particular.
Trophies are furnishing items tied to the game’s housing system that provide the player with powerful passive bonuses that remain active in every zone of Aeternum, the fictional colonial-era setting of New World. Players can display up to five different trophies in each of their homes, and they are generally thought to be a costly and valuable boon.
The New World players who discovered the exploit claim they first told Amazon’s developer team about it, but were forced to go public after their previous attempts fell on deaf ears. Unsurprisingly, this sparked outrage among the game’s ardent fans on the game’s official forums, prompting the developers to take swift action by temporarily shutting down New World’s entire economy until the issue was resolved.
Following Amazon Game Studios’ decision to disable New World’s trading post system, the playerbase has either bemoaned the game’s unstable state or chastised Amazon Game Studios’ leniency towards the game’s burgeoning duping community. In previous incidents of this nature, Amazon’s punishment for the players involved was limited to a 24-hour suspension. Given how quickly unchecked duping can destabilize an MMO’s economy, it’s not unreasonable to hope that the developers take a tougher stance against dupers, such as permanently banning them from the game or, at the very least, removing their ill-gotten items.
To Amazon Game Studios’ credit, they’ve maintained open and frequent communication with New World’s playerbase, and it’s become clear that they share a passion for the game and a desire to see it succeed.
Fans of the game appear to agree that New World has the makings of a fun MMO, and popular Twitch streamers like Asmongold agree, but until Amazon Game Studios fixes major bugs like these, players’ time in Aeternum will be disrupted.
On PC, New World is now available.