You Can’t Name Yourself ‘Jeff Bezos’ In Amazon’s New MMO

In Amazon’s new MMORPG, New World, you can colonise a 17th century fictional country – but you can’t make fun of Jeff Bezos.

According to the rules of the game, you cannot: “Impersonate any individual or entity, including employees or representatives of Amazon.” The game has taken the trouble to block variants of the Amazon founder’s name in New World. 

As reported by Kotaku, you can’t even get around the rule with creative use of spelling and punctuation. If you have a go at building a character named ‘Jeg Beezbors’ or ‘Jebb Feyzos’, Kotaku notes that it will either be blocked or revoked at a later date if Amazon notices.

Back in July, Kotaku reported about a New World player who changed their name to ‘AmazonOfficial’. They went on to share uncomfortable truths about the gigantic corporation via the game, such as the fact that Amazon warehouse staff are sometimes forced to pee in bottles. This move within the Beta version of the game is possibly the reason behind the strict naming rules.

Blocking names, with the myriad of variants the creative gaming community can come up with, is an incredibly time-consuming and difficult process. The fact that Amazon has considered this necessary, and spent hours to block variants of the name, for a very silly and small joke, is telling. Poor Jeffrey must not have enjoyed the comments about his very… virile-looking… rocket last month.

Credit: Blue Origin

Don’t make fun of jeff Bezos

This move follows criticism of Bezos (and Elon Musk) by the Secretary General of the United Nations. As reported by the Guardian, António Guterres, said: “billionaires joyride into space while millions go hungry”.

It’s also interesting to note that the team behind New World were able to anticipate the humorous response to the Amazon founder within the game. However, Amazon didn’t consider the implications of building a game centred entirely around the colonisation of North America – sorry ‘Aeternum’. The game has you battle “the Corrupted, the Ancient, and the Lost” with muskets while dressed suspiciously like a conquistador. But sure, protecting Jeff Bezos is the priority.

Amazon New World MMO
Credit: Amazon Games

The New World game suffered delays in it’s release – but it is out now. So, if you are going to play New World, I wish you luck in finding a good name for your character. Jiffy Beeznose, Joffrey Bayzooze, Cowboy Beboz – whatever works for you. However short-lived your character’s name might be.

If any of the topics discussed in this article have negatively impacted you, there are people out there who can help.

Safe in our World
The Calm Zone
MIND
Samaritans
Rethink
Mental Health America

Featured Image: Blue Origin