New World to remove expired usernames!

New World will expand to the console market this Fall 2024 with its repackaging into New World: Aeternum. However New World will now start removing usernames of characters who have not played for an extended period of time. Obviously to open up some ~900,000 taken usernames to console players when the game was at its peak. That is only if those ~900,000 characters do not play after 6 months when this name expiry change is implemented.

New World Status released this Tweet:

The purging will be implemented on October 15?

The inactive username purging will be implemented on October 15. Character names will be made available to be taken by new characters after 6 months of inactivity according to the Tweet. So the first batch of purging will occur on April 15 (or 16), 2025; but let’s say April 15 to be conservative. However it could also be that AGS would open up the names of those 6-month inactive players on October 15.

If the earlier is true: Players will need to log in at least once between October 15, 2024 and April 15, 2025.

If the latter is true: Players will need to log in anytime from now to October 14, and once more between October 15 and April 15, 2025. This is the safest route.

Then keep logging in at least once every 6 months.

Well if you’ve reduced your New World experience into logging in once every 6 months, then I don’t think you should be logging in anymore.

Now a troll move (maybe to spite AGS for the lack of content this fall and its sole marketing move to focusing on console) would be for all ~900,000 to log in once and become inactive again. Thus making it annoying for the console gamers to choose their character name. I mean, when New World: Aeternum does release on October 15, you still have at least 900,000 usernames locked.

The news is certainly received with mixed reactions. For sure AGS is NOT saying that characters will be purged for inactivity. However, any in-game social interaction starts at the username level. And losing that username is costly in a sense that player names assume the identity of the whole.

Personally, opening up a character name due absence for six months is fine to me. However, it will be problematic going forward as this translates any inactivity for 6 months and MMO players often take long hiatus due to RL obligations. They play in and fall off. It’s normal. Especially when they’ve reached the peak and are searching for more content after Rise of the Angry Earth.