Hey @playnewworld @amazongames Is there a way that we as a community can convince you to merge all AP servers together instead of merging them into US ones, or at least have a more open line of dialogue with the team about the decision process etc regarding the total closure of the APSE region, before you commit to the downtime and removal? Too long, didn't read: AP players are very upset, and the community feels that you are making a mistake by closing the region due to the issues that AP players will face because of the insane ping and time zone differences etc. Full wall of text: Over the past day or so, my chat (and not only mine, @JayOddity and many other streamers can attest, too) has been filled with AP players asking for help. The community response to the complete removal of APSE servers has been unanimously negative, and the amount of people vocalising their upset does not reflect the idea that AP is a tiny part of the community. There are still plenty of active players in that region, and even more of them who are only taking a break. Since you have told us that Season 10 is going to be a huge update, there has been a huge number of players who have voiced their plans across Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit etc to come back to NW:A when it drops later this year, including many APSE players. By removing the AP region entirely, you are effectively removing the game from the market across the entirety of the Eastern regions. AP players will not merge with US and put up, they will just quit. The ping, for example, will make PvP completely unviable, and all end game PvE content will also be almost impossible - Wurm, Hive of Gorgons etc, all have mechanics that heavily rely on correct timings, dodges, quick reactions etc, and no matter how skilled the AP players may be, they will not be able to compete against the multi-second delays caused by such high ping. Time zones also cause a huge issue. US East and West are not just a few hours behind - prime time (early to late evening) in AP is literally 12 hours ahead of prime time in US. When it is 5pm in AP, it is 5am in the US - this totally splits the player base, and will also prevent any AP and US players from teaming up for in-game events, seasonal challenges, world bosses etc; and so again just negates your reasoning for the merges. You've told us that your reasoning for the merges and region closure was to give AP players a chance to experience the game with more players, more end game opportunities, more queue pops etc, but none of this will be achieved by merging them with US - you'll be putting them with more players, but they'll be players that the server delay will prevent them from competing against. You'll be putting them on servers with more raid runs, but since a huge majority of the runs are pre-coordinated and run at an agreed time that works for the rostered players, the AP players are very unlikely to be awake at the US servers' usual planned raid times. The queues won't pop any faster, because AP and US players will not be playing at the same time. Please reconsider the AP part of the merges planned for next week, and if possible, at least try merging AP into one server before committing to the full region closure.🙂

In 2021, @playnewworld launched. It was the best of times in many ways, namely because of the amazing new friends we made. For me, one of those friends was Pyry. Many of you in the New World community knew him as Faded, Faded-Star, or Cpt-Kupoc. Pyry helped everyone, laughed with everyone, and was truly the best of us. He was a staunch supporter, a New World addict, a beacon throughout the community, and a true friend. For those of you who are new to Aeternum, Pyry isn't with us anymore. When he passed, it was sudden, unexpected, and left a huge hole in our community. He left behind his wife, Anna, and two incredible kids. I still remember when he told me he was teaching his son, Sulo, to speak English by translating my YouTube videos for him, since Sulo was also a keen gamer and often hijacked Pyry's New World character to play with us, too. I'm sharing this with you guys because Pyry would've loved to see New World revived like it has been, and I want you all to know that he'd have been on the frontline of the console players welcoming party; running expeditions with new players just to help out, trading BIS crafts to passers by just to see their excitement, and generally embodying what it means to be a community. It's been over a year now since we lost him, but he's not gone. Not really. He lives on in every one of those random in-game jumps we do to greet strangers in the open world. He lives on in every kind proximity-voice exchange we have. He lives on every time we get completely outplayed in a 1v1 but still say 'GG' in the chat. We've still got him as an Officer in The Shire, and while it always makes me stop when I see his name in the members list alongside the 'offline for over a year', it also reminds me to take a moment to smile. So be happy. Be helpful. Be a friend. Be Pyry. Miss you, buddy @faded_star