Rust Studio’s $25M Offer to Save New World

This caught my attention because Facepunch has quietly become one of the rare studios that both understands long-term online communities and can back that understanding with a track record: Rust still ranks among Steam’s most-played games a decade after launch. An offhand public “25m” from its COO to buy New World: Aeternum isn’t just a tweet—it’s a provocative reminder that big publishers don’t always have to be the final word on an online game’s fate.

Rust director makes a public “25m” pitch to buy New World – a lifeline or theatre?

• Shutdown dates: Amazon will delist New World on January 15, 2027 and shut its servers on January 31, 2027. Current owners can still download and play for the remaining year, but no new content is planned.
• McFarlane’s offer: Facepunch COO Alistair McFarlane tweeted “25m, final offer @amazongames” on April 5, 2025 at 14:32 UTC^[1], later adding “Games should never die.” Currency was unspecified.
• Major hurdles: IP purchase, source-code access, backend dependencies (matchmaking, Easy Anti-Cheat, cloud auth), licensing, and Amazon’s willingness to negotiate all stand in the way.
• Precedent for revival: Nightdive Studios bought the System Shock IP in 2012 and released a remaster in 2018, showing a complex but possible path for shelved properties.

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Publisher|Amazon Games
Release Date|September 28, 2021
Category|MMORPG
Platform|PC (Steam)
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What was announced — the cold facts

Amazon Games confirmed on October 28, 2025 that New World will be removed from sale on January 15, 2027, and servers will go offline on January 31, 2027. Current players retain download rights but receive no further updates.

On April 5, 2025, Facepunch COO Alistair McFarlane tweeted: “25m, final offer @amazongames” (14:32 UTC), adding “Games should never die.” He did not clarify currency or binding intent, but tagged Amazon Games and framed the bid as a preservation effort.

Why McFarlane’s post matters — and why it may not be enough

On paper, a studio publicly offering tens of millions to acquire rights and hand servers over to the community is headline-grabbing. Facepunch’s success with Rust demonstrates expertise in nurturing emergent player ecosystems and running robust servers. By declaring “25m” in public, McFarlane elevated the discussion from mourning a shutdown to exploring concrete preservation options.

Yet buying an MMO like New World goes far beyond a sticker price. A full deal would require source code or server binaries, private cloud and authentication services, licensed middleware (e.g., Easy Anti-Cheat by Epic), live-service infrastructure, player data, and legal indemnities. Amazon may face security, compliance, or strategic reasons to keep control. And without clarification, “25m” could be rhetorical—dollars, pounds, or simply a conversation-starter.

Technical and legal hurdles to a community-run New World

To transition New World to community hosts, a buyer must secure:

• Source code or server binaries
• Rights or re-licensing for third-party services (matchmaking, anti-cheat, cloud databases)
• Steamworks or alternative DRM/authentication
• Player data migration and database portability
• Security audits, compliance documentation, and ongoing patch support

Even with Facepunch’s engineering team, migrating a live MMO can take 6–12 months and cost $2–5 million in development, hosting, and legal fees before a stable community version emerges.

Industry impact and lessons for game preservation

When publishers sunset live titles, players often resort to unofficial or legally grey private servers that can vanish overnight. A formal IP sale and community-run model preserves player investment, archives game history, and sets a valuable precedent. Nightdive Studios’ acquisition and 2018 remaster of System Shock demonstrates that IP can change hands and be revived—though that process took years of negotiation, licensing, and technical restoration.

McFarlane’s unexpected offer forces Amazon to consider whether New World will truly die, be sold, or find a third path. Even if negotiations stall, public dialogue around digital preservation benefits players and the broader industry.

Conclusion

Alistair McFarlane’s “25m” tweet to acquire New World from Amazon has sparked an overdue conversation about game preservation and community control. While legal, technical, and financial challenges make a successful handoff uncertain, the proposal underscores that live-service shutdowns need not be final. Publishers and developers should view game sunset as an opportunity to negotiate transfers rather than irreversible endings.

TL;DR — the short take

Facepunch’s COO publicly offering “25m” to buy New World before its 2027 shutdown highlights how community-focused studios can challenge permanent game deletion. However, IP sale, code access, backend dependencies, and licensing make a real transition complex. Still, the discussion marks a significant step toward treating game shutdowns as negotiable, not inevitable.

[1] Tweet by Alistair McFarlane (@alistairmcf): “25m, final offer @amazongames” and “Games should never die.” Posted April 5, 2025 at 14:32 UTC.