New World, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Amazon Games Orange County, utilizes the Amazon Lumberyard engine. Specifically, it employs a highly customized version of Lumberyard known as Azoth.
The Engine Behind Aeturnum
Amazon Lumberyard is a free, cross-platform 3D game engine developed by Amazon. It is based on CryEngine, licensed from Crytek, and integrated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twitch features. This foundation allowed Amazon Games to build a robust and scalable world for New World.
The use of "Azoth" alongside "Amazon Lumberyard" signifies a significant in-house modification and evolution of the base engine for New World's specific needs. Game studios often tailor general-purpose engines to fit their unique gameplay mechanics, graphical requirements, and server architecture, and Azoth represents this bespoke development by Amazon Games.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Engine Name | Amazon Lumberyard (customized as Azoth) |
| Foundation | Based on CryEngine, with integrations for AWS and Twitch. |
| Developer | Amazon Games (developer of the engine is Amazon, development on Azoth by Amazon Games Orange County). |
| Purpose | Powers the intricate world, combat, and social systems of New World. |
Why a Custom Engine Like Azoth?
Developing a custom iteration like Azoth allows Amazon Games to:
- Optimize Performance: Tailor the engine for the specific demands of an MMORPG, including large-scale player counts, persistent world rendering, and complex physics interactions.
- Integrate Custom Features: Implement unique game mechanics or rendering techniques that might not be natively supported or efficiently managed by a standard engine version.
- Scalability: Leverage Amazon's own cloud infrastructure (AWS) more deeply, ensuring the game can scale to accommodate a large and fluctuating player base without significant performance degradation.
- Control and Flexibility: Maintain full control over the engine's source code, enabling rapid iteration, bug fixing, and the implementation of long-term development roadmaps specific to New World.
The combination of a powerful base like Amazon Lumberyard and the extensive in-house modifications seen in Azoth provides the technical backbone for New World's detailed world of Aeturnum.
