Amazon's New World is one of the most anticipated MMOs in recent memory, in part, I believe, because it has not been extensively documented in backer updates or years of alpha testing. The lack of a crowdfunding campaign (which Amazon obviously didn't need) makes it more enigmatic than competitors like Crowfall, which was Kickstarted in 2015 and has been in various stages of pre-alpha testing for the past five years.

But if you're interested in a gang of fantasy settlers building and defending a fort, Crowfall deserves your attention. In addition to millions of dollars in crowdfunding support, the game recently raised an additional $11.7 million from investors to support the final push toward release. The beta will be open to all backers as well as non-supporters, who will be invited in stages (they can register on the official website).

Crowfall has a few quirks that set it apart from other MMOs: like EVE Online, there is passive skills training, but it is done at the account level and all characters benefit from offline combat, crafting and exploration training. This is done in addition to character-level training.

It should also be noted that outside of the meta-world (individual lands that can be built on, the PvE area "God's Reach" and the PvP area "Infected"), you can play in a campaign that takes place on a unique map and has a fixed ending and winner. In the campaign, you belong to one of three factions, import items from your account level (you can also export items from the campaign, but there is a cost to moving items), and fight for territory. At the end of one year in the game, a winner is determined and your character returns to the permanent world with the loot you have won, ready for the next campaign.

As detailed in a very long FAQ, the basic idea is that Crowfall tries to blend MMO permanence with a win-lose strategic campaign, and not just factions taking, abandoning, and recapturing the same fort forever.

According to studio co-founder and president Gordon Walton (whom we spoke with in 2016 about the future of RPGs), Crowfall has over 300,000 players in its beta. Registration is free, but backer packs to guarantee current and future access start at $50.

It is exciting to see two MMOs in the same year tackling the same problem in different ways about how to design a large-scale fantasy territory warfare sandbox; "NewWorld" seems to be a more straightforward mix of survival game and MMO staples, while " Crowfall" is a hurdle waiting in the wings to explain what it is and why its multi-layered structure is worth the hours of commitment it demands.

The beta may help with that. Especially if players leave with a great story to tell.Crowfall's beta will launch during the first quarter of this year, with a full release scheduled for late 2020.