Amazon Presents New World

Amazon has struggled to gain traction as a video game publisher, but with “New World,” it hopes to change that.

The $40 open-world game has received positive reviews and has seen promising early sales numbers from limited prereleases.

• During a two-week test period over the summer, Amazon said it sold over 1 million copies, making it the top-selling game on Steam at the time.
• “Crucible,” a previous big-budget release, peaked at 25,000 players before Amazon canceled it.
• The company spends around $500 million on gaming each year.

Amazon is also expanding the capabilities of Twitch, the streaming platform it purchased for $1 billion in 2014. Last year, Twitch generated $2.3 billion in revenue.

The internationally competitive has filed a patent for a system that superimposes a video game streamer’s face onto the character they’re controlling, with real-time facial expressions that match the player’s. The feature could be implemented in streaming platforms as well as metaverse platforms.

Amazon’s $3.99 per month Halo subscription service, which integrates with its Halo fitness wearables, now includes a fitness class service and a nutrition plan provider.