Amazon Games' MMO "New World" is currently in alpha and is regularly adding new features. One of these, the recently added storefront, has sparked concerns among players who worry that New World will go the way of games that progress in the shadow of real money purchases. To address these concerns, Rich Lawrence, director of Amazon Games Studio, has written an open letter to players, attempting to allay them.

According to Lawrence, all store items at launch are "cosmetic only," and the store was introduced in alpha simply to gauge interest. However, the team also intends to test "quality-of-life items," and these could be used as pay-to-win mechanics.

While fast travel does not immediately imply a win reward, it does give players an advantage simply because they can visit destinations faster and thus play more. Also, since fast travel is an essential mechanic in large game/worlds, making fast travel unavailable unless players pay for it simply sounds like a bad idea. On the other hand, XP boosts are clearly a way to pay for progress. In a reply to a tweet, New World called this "helping those who don't have much time to play," while at the same time making the boost available to players who have completed content in the game.

Since the store is still in testing, it is too early to pass judgment on how much impact the purchase will have on the game itself. What is important is how likely New World is to get users to buy something.

For more alpha impressions, see Tyler's preview of one of the dungeons New World will enter closed beta on July 20. It will be released shortly thereafter, on both Steam and Amazon, on August 31.