New World Is Closing — How to Protect Your Time and In-Game Investments

New World Is Closing — How to Protect Your Time and In-Game Investments

Hook: If you’ve poured months into New World — climbing trade skills, stocking rare gear, running a company, or building a guide that other players swear by — the announcement that Amazon is winding the MMO down in 2026/2027 is a punch to the gut. The good news: you can preserve what matters. This guide shows exactly what to export, how to document achievements, salvage community knowledge, and what to do about paid purchases and subscriptions.

The context you need (short and current)

Amazon Games announced the planned shutdown of New World in early 2026, giving players a window to prepare before servers go offline roughly a year later. That makes 2026 the preservation year: community archives, automated exports, and broad documentation efforts that surfaced in late 2025 and early 2026 are now the best way to lock down memories, useful data, and monetary claims before the lights go out.

What this guide delivers

• Concrete, step-by-step actions you can complete in minutes, days, and months.
• How to export screenshots, video, inventory records, and achievement logs.
• How to create a community archive on GitHub/GitLab and a public folder on Internet Archive with metadata and licensing.
• Practical advice on refunds, chargebacks, and contacting Amazon Games/Steam.
• Privacy, ToS, and legal cautions to avoid getting banned or breaking rules.

Priority checklist — what to do first (day 0–30)

These are high-impact, low-effort actions to secure the most valuable stuff fast.

• Take a full set of screenshots of your character, inventory, storage, achievements, company roster, faction rank, and any rare items. Use a consistent naming scheme (YYYYMMDD-server-character-item.jpg).
• Export receipts and purchase histories from Steam, Amazon, and payment providers. Download PDFs or save screenshots of transactions for cosmetics, DLC, and expansions.
• Cancel recurring subscriptions tied to the game (if any) and document the date and confirmation number.
• Create a community archive repository (GitHub/GitLab) and a public folder on Internet Archive. Invite guild leaders and key contributors as collaborators.
• Record a short “closing” video — 5–10 minutes — showing your character, housing, company hall, and personal milestones. Post it to YouTube (unlisted or public) to preserve motion and audio.

Exporting visuals — screenshots and videos (practical steps)

Screenshots and recorded video are the most portable memories. Here’s how to make them reliable and searchable.

Screenshots: capture, organize, and back up

1. Use in-game UI for full context: show item tooltips, rarity colors, timestamps, market prices. Scale your UI so the whole inventory fits and all text is legible.
2. Hotkey tool: use Steam overlay (F12 by default) or a tool like Greenshot for one-press capture. For high-volume, use a tool that can auto-rename with timestamps (IrfanView batch rename or XnView MP).
3. Find Steam screenshot folder: on Windows the usual path is %ProgramFiles%\Steam\userdata\<yourid>\760\remote\<appid>\screenshots — copy that folder to external drive. On Mac/Linux, check ~/Library/Application Support/Steam or ~/.steam.
4. Metadata: add a simple JSON sidecar for each screenshot with fields: date, server, character, screenshot-type (inventory/achievement/house), patch-version. This makes future search and indexing trivial.
5. Back up: upload to Internet Archive, a private cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive), and to your GitHub repo (LFS for large files or just store thumbnails + metadata and offload originals to archive.org).

Video: capture and contextualize

• Record using OBS Studio (free), NVIDIA ShadowPlay, or AMD ReLive. Use 1080p/60 or 1440p if you want extra clarity for UI text.
• Record specific sequences: a walk through your house, a trade skill level, a PvP highlight, and a company meeting. Narrate briefly: mention patch number, server, and date on camera.
• Export short clips (60–180 seconds) for key moments and one full-length archive recording for longer events.
• Upload to YouTube or Internet Archive. Tag videos with “New World archive,” server name, and patch number. Keep at least one copy unlisted and one public so search engines can index it for the community.

Exporting game-state data — inventory, achievements, and logs

Because MMOs typically don't provide a full self-export function, you must build a practical export workflow that balances fidelity with safety.

Inventory export (safe, repeatable method)

1. Full inventory screenshots: capture every tab of your bags, bank, and chest UI. Use the same file naming and sidecar metadata approach described above.
2. Tabular CSV record: create a simple spreadsheet and transcribe key items (name, quantity, slot, tier, mods, market price, unique serial if any). If you have hundreds of items, enlist a guild member to help crowdsource the data entry.
3. Automated scraping (advanced, optional): if you or a trusted dev in your community can access the game's public APIs or market endpoints, write a daily scraper that saves JSON snapshots. Store these snapshots in your archive with timestamps. Important: only use endpoints explicitly allowed by the publisher to avoid ToS violations. To support this at scale, consider an operational playbook for distributed storage and snapshots such as the one in Orchestrating Distributed Smart Storage Nodes.

Achievements, titles, and progression logs

• Steam achievements: take screenshots of your Steam achievement page and export Steam profile pages via the Steam web interface. You can also use Steam’s public XML profile (if available) for machine-readable backup.
• In-game achievements: capture the achievement UI and any in-game journal entries that show dates. If the game lists timestamps in chat when achievements are earned, copy those logs.
• Record leaderboards: take screenshots of regional leaderboards, territory control maps, and faction standings. These are historically useful snapshots of the game's social state.

Preserving community knowledge — guides, spreadsheets, and wikis

If your guild or community produced guides, market spreadsheets, or builds, organizing them now ensures the knowledge survives. Here’s a practical blueprint.

Build a community archive structure

• /docs — markdown guides: builds.md, crafting.md, economy.md
• /media — screenshots, video clips, asset thumbnails
• /data — CSV/JSON snapshots of market prices, crafter lists, town upgrades
• /roster — guild roster files, officer notes, meeting logs (redacted for privacy as needed)
• /license — a simple CC BY-NC 4.0 or similar license to let others reuse while protecting creators

How to migrate forums/Discord/Reddit content

1. Forums & wiki pages: use the Internet Archive’s “Save Page Now” to snapshot threads. Download HTML or PDF copies and add them to your repo.
2. Discord: export important pinned messages manually (copy/paste) or use the official Data Request tools (Discord allows users to request their data from Settings > Privacy & Safety > Request Data). For server-level archives, ask server owners to create channel transcripts (manual or via community-agreed export bots) and save them in /roster. Coordinate this work like a remote team using tools and practices similar to remote-first playbooks.
3. Reddit: use the JSON endpoint (reddit.com/r/subreddit/comments/.json) to pull threads, or use archived copies from pushshift.io and the Wayback Machine. Store all scraped data with timestamps and source URLs.

Monetary concerns — refunds, credits, and subscriptions

Paid purchases cause the most anxiety. Here’s how to approach refunds and credits in 2026, using best practices that worked for other shutdowns in 2024–2026.

Step-by-step for refunds and proofs

1. Gather proof: collect purchase receipts (Steam, Amazon Store, Prime Gaming), screenshots of purchased items in-game, transaction IDs, and bank/credit card statements showing charges.
2. Check platform policy: if you bought through Steam, start a Steam refund request (Help > Steam Support > Purchases) — Steam will consider exceptional circumstances for shutdowns. For purchases via the Amazon Games store, open a ticket with Amazon Games Support and attach your proof.
3. Use a polite template: include date of purchase, transaction ID, item list, and ask for a refund or in-store credit due to service termination. Keep a copy of all correspondence.
4. Escalate if needed: if support is unresponsive, ask to escalate to a supervisor. If still unresolved and you have strong proof, consider contacting your payment provider to inquire about dispute options — as a last resort.

Refund request template (brief):

“Hello — I purchased [item(s)] on [date] (Transaction ID: [ID]) for use in New World. With the announced server shutdown, please advise on refund or in-store credit options. Attached are receipts and in-game screenshots showing the items. Thank you.”

Special cases: cosmetic-only purchases vs. subscription services

• Cosmetics and permanent items: are less likely to be refunded after long periods, but publishers sometimes offer partial credit. Always ask — it costs nothing to try.
• Recurring subscriptions or time-limited passes: cancel immediately and request pro-rata refunds for periods after shutdown. Document cancellation confirmations.
• Regional consumer protections: in some regions (EU, UK, etc.), consumer laws enacted in 2024–2026 strengthened refund rights when a service is terminated. If you are in such a region, cite the law in your request politely and attach proof of purchase.

Legal, safety, and ToS cautions

Preservation is good — breaking rules is not. Follow these safety rules:

• Don’t share account credentials or ask others for access; screenshots and exports are enough.
• Avoid memory editors/cheats: using tools to scrape memory or APIs not intended for public use can trigger bans or legal action and is usually against ToS. When in doubt, ask in official dev channels. See When Celebrities and Crowdfunds Collide for examples of ethical and legal pitfalls.
• Respect privacy: redact personal data (emails, full names, payment details) before posting public archives.

Long-term preservation — hosting and metadata best practices

Doing the minimal export is good. Doing it with structure and metadata makes it reusable forever.

Metadata template (use for images, guides, and data files)

{
  "title": "Left-Handed Great Axe - Rarity II",
  "type": "screenshot",
  "date": "2026-01-15T22:10:00Z",
  "server": "US-East-Mythos",
  "character": "Valora",
  "patch": "1.12.4",
  "notes": "Sold on Tradepost for 125g"
}

Where to host

• Internet Archive: permanent, public, and trusted by researchers.
• GitHub/GitLab: great for guides, CSVs, and small media (use LFS for large files).
• Community mirrors: multiple independent mirrors reduce single points of failure. Aim for at least two locations: one public and one private backup.

Case studies & examples from 2024–2026 shutdowns

Other live-service shutdowns since 2024 showed the fastest-preserved communities followed similar playbooks: rapid screenshot/video capture in the first 30 days, daily market snapshots for three months, and a coordinated GitHub archive with contribution standards. Those archives became the primary source for historians, modders, and fans after servers closed.

Real-world tips that worked

• Automate daily captures using simple scripts (curl + wget + a few API endpoints) and push to a dated folder. See operational playbooks for distributed storage like Orchestrating Distributed Smart Storage Nodes.
• Ask your company/guild to appoint a “preservation officer” to coordinate folder structure and metadata standards.
• Use consistent naming conventions and a short README for each archive to aid future contributors and researchers. Reference secure collaboration patterns in Operationalizing Secure Collaboration and Data Workflows.

60–180 day plan: community projects that matter

1. Market dataset: gather daily tradepost snapshots for at least three months to capture economy dynamics and rare item flows.
2. Crafting recipe library: compile and verify crafting recipes, reagents, and level requirements in a shared CSV with citations (screenshots or patch notes).
3. Build repository: convert the best player guides into canonical markdown files with citations and versioning by patch.
4. Oral histories: record 20–30 minute interviews with veteran players, company leaders, and influential content creators and add them to the archive. Consider a community spotlight approach for interview writeups.

Final checklist before servers go dark

• All screenshots and video backed up in at least two locations
• Receipts and purchase evidence saved in PDF and screenshot form
• Refund requests submitted/confirmed and subscriptions canceled
• Community repo created with README, license, and contribution guide
• Market, crafting, and leaderboards captured with timestamps
• Guild/company rosters exported and officer contact list saved

Parting advice — memories are worth more than pixels

Most players are surprised by how much their MMOs matter after they’re gone. The real value isn’t only the items or cosmetics — it’s the stories, the economy snapshots, the strategies, and the people. Preserve those first: a simple video interview with your guild founder or a stitched timeline of your company’s territory control will be far more valuable to future fans than pristine images of every item.

Get started now — quick tools and resources

• OBS Studio — record gameplay and desktop.
• IrfanView / XnView MP — batch rename, resize, and export screenshots.
• GitHub / GitLab — host docs, guides, and small datasets.
• Internet Archive — long-term media hosting.
• Steam Support & Amazon Games Support — for refunds and account data requests.

Closing call-to-action

If you’re ready to act, start with the two-minute wins: take those screenshots, export receipts, and create a public GitHub repo with a README that says “New World Archive — started YYYY.” Invite your guildmates to contribute. If you want a ready-made archive template, download the free checklist and folder structure we created for New World preservation at best-games.site/new-world-archive (community edition). Don’t wait — every day the clock ticks on what can be saved.

Preserve your time. Protect your memories. Help the community keep New World alive in history.

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