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Forbes
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
New World: Aeternum's Springtide Bloom Returns With New Event And Loot
New World: Aeternum Springtide Bloom Amazon Games Next week, the Springtide Bloom event returns to New World: Aeternum across all platforms offering up a new in-game event and tons of seasonal rewards to earn. The event runs from May 13 until June 2 and is designed for characters level 20 or higher. In this event, players will harvest dangerous blooms known as Wispyblooms as they hunt down Wispy Wasp enemies. As you collect and deliver the event's unique resources to local Bloom Heralds, you can exchange them for Event Reputation ranks and tokens. And then using those tokens, you can unlock seasonal cosmetics, housing items, and more. You'll just have to make sure you spend all your tokens by the time the event ends on June 2, because they're only good for that specific purpose. If you've ever played an MMO or any live service game for that matter, then you're probably familiar with how these sorts of seasonal events work. They're not reinventing the wheel here, but the designs for everything look very pretty in that key art at least. You can see a big list of all the rewards on the official blog page. Admittedly, I have not tried New World again since it relaunched last year. Around the time the relaunch happened is also when Throne and Liberty came out, and I was knee-deep in running a guild for the first few months of that game's life. When New World first debuted on PC a few years ago, I was in there heavily for a couple of months as well and had a good time, but fell off like I usually do after a while. On paper, this new version of New World sounds and looks great, especially since it's also on consoles now. Plus, the game supports cross-play features as well between PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This event isn't for a player like me who would likely be starting fresh since I wouldn't even have a character high enough level, but re-engaging fans consistently is always the recipe for success with MMOs so it's good to see strong effort from the development team here.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Amazon Has No 'Plans For Premium Expansions' In ‘Throne And Liberty'
Arena PvP combat in 'Throne and Liberty' After the surge of new players from the free Wilds of Talandre expansion, Throne and Liberty has managed to sustain some of that influx of players, but they're starting to taper off—at least on Steam. Amazon has not disclosed player numbers for other platforms like PlayStation and Xbox. But, just as you can expect for any free-to-play live service game that's very content-driven, lots of players come into the game to try the new content and then move onto other things for a while. The business model for Throne and Liberty is a very typical free-to-play format in which the game and all of its content are free to experience without an upfront cost or subscription price. However, there is a litany of optional cosmetics, convenience items, crafting materials, and other resources that you can purchase at any given time, in addition to multiple types of battle passes. You can technically play all of the content in Throne and Liberty without spending a dime, but many dedicated players end up paying for things like battle passes at the very least for the boosts and resources. Earlier this month, I reached out to Amazon Games to learn more about how the game's player base is faring and what the future holds for Throne and Liberty. Specifically, I wanted to know if there were plans to start charging for big content updates like future expansions. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder 'We love continuously improving the game, introducing exciting new features and modes, and delivering the best possible experience for our players,' globalization design manager Daniel 'Tico' Lafuente said in an email. 'We regularly survey our players and the feedback we've gathered so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Of course, with such a massive content update, there are always areas for improvement. We've addressed many of these concerns as quickly as possible and will continue to do so…Our goal is to be one of the best and fairest free-to-play MMOs on the market, and we're committed to continuing that approach as we move forward. As a result, we don't have any plans for 'premium' expansions at this time.' This stance of not charging for expansions and content updates in Throne and Liberty is consistent with Amazon's stance pre-launch, so it's encouraging to see that this plan has not changed.
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Throne And Liberty' Got A ‘Significant Influx' Of Players From Its Big Free Expansion
Nebula Island from the Wilds of Talandre expansion The massive Wilds of Talandre expansion for Throne and Liberty, the free-to-play MMORPG, maintains a consistent player count and sustained interest from fans of the genre since coming out on March 6. Throne and Liberty debuted in the West in October 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with full cross-play. In Throne and Liberty, you explore a land known as Solisium which is split up into various regions and islands. The majority of the game takes place across a large land mass with the lower left portion designated as the region of Laslan and the lower right region designated as Stonegard. Now, with the release of the Wilds of Talandre expansion, the explorable area of the game has nearly doubled. The Wilds of Talandre update opens the border north to allow you into the Talandre region, which encompasses the northern section of the main land mass. That's just the start, though. In addition to the new Talandre region, there's Nebula Island which debuted just a few weeks ago in an update after the main expansion was released, which is only accessible to max level 55 characters. It's a gnarly place. Players can only spend a maximum of five hours per week on this new island with several conflict zones mixing PvP encounters with PvE elements. It's a dangerous place, but the loot and rewards could make it all worth it. On top of all of that, this expansion increased the level cap from 50 to 55, expanded lifestyle content levels to 25, added solo dungeons, introduced a new 3-star tier of co-op group dungeons, totally revamped the weapon mastery progression system, and much more. That's a lot of new land to cover FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder To get more context around the expansion's launch and what it's meant for the game's activity, I reached out to Amazon Games to ask how the update's reception has been thus far. 'Throne and Liberty players are some of the most engaged and dedicated players that we've seen to this point,' globalization design manager Daniel 'Tico' Lafuente said in an email. 'We are very satisfied with the current overall player counts. Talandre's release brought a significant influx of both new and returning players, which was a key goal for this expansion.' According to SteamDB, the number of active players nearly doubled when Wilds of Talandre was released on March 6. The fact that the influx has maintained over the course of nearly an entire month is a great sign for the game's health and longevity. Throne and Liberty hovers around 30,000-40,000 concurrent players at any given time these days on Steam, usually peaking a bit above and then dipping a bit below over the course of a single day. This does not take into account players on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S at all. 'We've experienced a significant increase in overall player activity since Talandre's launch,' said Lafuente. 'Playtime is up. Content engagement is up. Our players' response to Talandre has been impressive. We can't wait to see how they react to all the content we have coming the rest of the year.' The new weapon mastery system is overwhelming at first For context, here are some concurrent player numbers on Steam for other popular MMOs as of right now: Final Fantasy XIV hovers around 30,000 players as well, The Elder Scrolls Online sits around 15,000 players, and Amazon's own New World: Aeternum rarely tops 10,000 players. Considering those relative stats and the fact two out of its three platforms aren't even accounted for, those are pretty strong results for Throne and Liberty. Throne and Liberty was originally conceived to be part of NCSoft's Lineage game series, but was restructured during development as its own game. With more than three million players in its first week alone, it's been a solid first few months for the new MMORPG. Personally, I clocked nearly 200 hours in Throne and Liberty within its first couple of months late last year running my own guild and clearing the story plus end-game content. It has a great mix of PvE and PvP content, depending on what you're looking for.
Forbes
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
25 Of Our Favorite Easter Basket Ideas For Teens
Even if they've outgrown the Easter bunny, you can still treat your teens to an Easter basket stocked with personalized gifts. Although it might seem surprising, the treats they're craving aren't only of the beauty and tech variety. Incorporating some playful items, games and activity sets might be better received by your teen than you're expecting, says Brenna Hicks, a play therapist with 20 years of experience. 'We're all hardwired to need play in our lives,' she says—and playtime can offer a whole host of benefits from reduced stress and anxiety levels to stronger family bonds. After speaking to Hicks, as well as other experts in gifting, tweens and teens and attending multiple toy and gift trade shoes in the last few months, I selected these top Easter basket ideas for teens in 2025. Create a tempting display of treats with these can't miss Easter basket ideas for teens. Hicks says she still organizes an egg hunt every year for her 15-year-old son. 'I think you capitalize on just having fun with your teen, number one,' she says. Although teens—and tweens—shift away from little kid imaginary play and 'more toward activity-based' play and items, you can still find plenty of toy-like fun to fill their baskets. Hicks plans to add a Rubik's Cube, favorite candies and something related to her teen's passion for baseball into his basket. 'Give something that you know your teenager likes, that they care about, and try to make it playful or interactive in some way.' It's through play that 'kids make sense of their world,' and when kids and teens have the space for play, they feel better, she says. Plus, it's often during play that teens and caregivers find ways to reconnect and laugh together. Amazon Games remain hot with tweens and teens, including boys, says Casey Sartain, owner of Tutoring Toy in Salt Lake City, including Uno Show 'Em No Mercy. My own tweens love this version of Uno that moves a lot faster and ups the challenge for older kids with essentially more types of wild cards—and more painful ones like a draw 10. Hicks also points out that teens are more likely to open up to you, talk and connect when playing a game with you or just keeping their hands busy. 'They can squeeze a squish ball, they can doodle, they can do a puzzle, they can play Uno,' she says. 'It doesn't really matter what it is, but if their hands are actively doing something, they're more likely to feel comfortable dialoguing.' Amazon Slime is irresistible to kids, even teens. Customizable slimes or those with mix-ins are popular at Tutoring Toy among older kids. Similarly, the tweens and teens that attend therapy or family therapy at Love Play Grow in New Jersey most often pick up slime, a creative activity or another tactile sensory item, say its therapist founders Kerri Adams and Christina Eromenok. 'They love slime, but expensive slime,' says Eromenok, who recommended this Dope Slime brand, along with Kawaii Slime. 'I think a lot of families have a hard time remembering just how much stress teens are under. Socially there are so many challenges, and they put so much pressure on themselves to perform. So teens are under an immense amount of pressure, and those sensory experiences are all about stress relief and relaxation for them, because they have very few opportunities for that.' The Paper Store If there's one brand that everyone referenced when it came to teens, it was Jellycat. While many teen shoppers gravitate toward the brand's quirky food and drink Amuseables (including the eggs this year), the animal plush also frequently sell out explains Shannon Collins, marketing and social media director at Tutoring Toy. Capybaras are also having a bit of a moment, and this furry little face of Clyde is pretty hard to turn away from without a giggle or a smile. Hook him onto their keychain or bag—and he'll be there at all times to provide a little comfort and comedic relief. That's part of the appeal of Jellycat, say the Love Play Grow therapists who note that the brand's unique characters provide unexpected humor and nurturing for teens. 'We know teens need comfort more than they let on, and Jellycat characters are a great way to provide that in a non-threatening way.' Rhode For teens who enjoy experimenting with beauty and skincare items, they'll likely swoon to receive this essential cheek and lip duo from model and influencer Hailey Bieber's beloved skincare company Rhode—and they're sure to work it into their 'Get Ready With Me' (#GRWM) routine. It's available in six duos but waitlist requests are a bit frequent at Rhode I've noticed, so snag their preferred tint while you can. Amazon Customization remains huge with tweens and teens, says Collins, and they're adding charms to everything, from their phones to their shoelaces. This phone charm comes in more than two dozen styles, so they can find the one that suits them best. Amazon 'Teens love LED lights,' says Adams. 'A simple way to make that playful is you actually have a color code for what each color led light means and how that represents the team. So brown is poop, blue is sad today, red is crazy, and pink is like, 'Welcome. Come on in.'' I bought this LED strip for my tween after she begged for a set, and she does enjoy alternating the colors to suit her mood. They were relatively painless to install with the sticky adhesive backing. Nike Restock their sock collection with one of teens' favorite brands—just make sure they're crew and not ankle height. This six-pack of cushioned Nike socks are available in a rainbow of colors just right for spring, but your teen likely just wants black or white. Amazon Gift them their very own Sonny Angel, one of the most popular collectibles among the tween and teen girl population. The Hippers version hangs on their phone or wherever they place them, flashing the figure's naked baby booty—all the better for showing it off. If you want to really wow them, grab one of the latest releases in the series directly from Sonny Angel site. There's a new cherry blossom series release coming this spring, as well as new Smiski series, another popular Japan-grown collectible. Keep in mind that it's typically one figure per box, and it is a blind box, so you can't control which new collectible they'll receive—of course, that's all part of the fun for a generation who grew up on surprise packs and toy unboxing videos. PacSun Help them get ready for swim season with a new set of trunks. This Quiksilver pair offers a full mesh lining, side pockets and a back one, actual adjustable drawstrings and a comfortable 7-inch inseam. Like Hicks, I also find that my tweens still enjoy an egg hunt, and I plan to keep it going as long as we can. I do stuff those plastic eggs full of candy, but I also like to add a couple of eye-catching, larger treats to their baskets. Select a treat that they like best, of course, like this cute funnel of milk chocolates (it also comes in a Reese's Pieces peanut butter, carrot-shaped option). A solid milk chocolate bunny is another way to go, or if you've got a non-chocolate loving kid, a giant egg of Skittles or a pretty Peeps marshmallow stick are fitting choices for the holiday, too. Amazon My tweens love the solo puzzle game Kanoodle, and I love to see them working hard at it with their hands: building and rebuilding in order to solve each challenge. The Kanoodle Extreme offers three types of puzzle challenges and more than 300 individual puzzles in one box. The Love Play Grow therapists also recommend Kanoodle as a great way for teens to 'practice mistake making, not knowing and perseverance.' Fanatics Scoop up a fresh jersey, kit, hat or tee of their favorite home team, so they can represent them all spring and summer season long. Fanatics carries it all—like this Los Angeles Dodgers World Series commemoration hat in the famed Dodgers' blue. Amazon Made popular by the aforementioned Bieber, the phone lip gloss holder is suddenly an essential accessory for those teens who really take pride in and identify with their personal brand and look. This Case-Mate accessory snaps right on to Mag-Safe phone cases, or they can peel and stick it to a case. Walmart Many teens gravitate toward squishy things or tactile items to fidget with, and the NeeDoh line has a particularly satisfying squish. This Nice cube is a little bit more firm and requires you to press it harder, which the Love Play Grow therapy team especially likes for teens. 'Trust us, we've tried all of the fidgets around and NeeDoh ones are the best,' they told me. 'A fan favorite is the Nice Cube. Teens have a lot of stress to squish out!' Amazon This kit in cute giftable packaging comes with everything your budding crafter needs to learn to crochet. The Woobles patterns are particularly playful and kid-friendly, available in a variety of cute and quirky animals and objects. They come with a pre-started piece and plenty of online tutorials. It's a great activity to do together or for them to learn solo during downtime. I've gifted a number of these over the years and my artsy tween has enjoyed making them. Amazon I love to give flip-flops, sandals or slides in my kids' Easter baskets, and I know a lot of other parents have told me they do too, along with other spring and summer essentials. These Crocs Mellow Recovery slides provide that cloud-like plush cushion under their foot that so many comfort-craving teens prefer year-round, not just on recovery days. The price is a bit more teen-centric than some other adult recovery slides, and it's a beloved brand among kids of all ages. Owala In case you didn't know, Owala water bottles have taken over with the backpack crowd. Personally, I also love the two-ways-to-drink model of the Owala FreeSip and have found my tween's bottle to be leak-free, though it takes an extra firm hand to close the lid. This pretty yellow would look great in a basket and keep them hydrated through spring sports season. There are dozens of colorways to choose from and new shades dropping all the time, so select the one that speaks most to your teen's aesthetic. Amazon Whatever their sport, now is the season to spoil them with a new bat, ball, a fresh set of cleats—or just a whole new hobby. Just as you tucked sidewalk chalk and bubbles into their baskets when they were little, add something that's big kid ready to get them outdoors this spring. This pickleball set is among our favorites, and it arrives with everything a family or a group of their pals needs to get started, including four paddles and balls. Urban Outfitters Rollers are back, but today's teens are not interested in messing with the painful, pinch-y rollers of the past or suffering through heat damage. Instead, they're smartly gravitating to heatless, often satin 'pillow rollers' that can be left in overnight with a lot less fuss and pain. This pretty Glov Coolcurl set includes four satin curlers that promise voluminous curls. Amazon Teens love miniatures and gravitate toward nostalgia—even for eras well before their birth. These mini retro arcade games are actually playable and come in full color. It also fits right in their hand. Sure they can play any game on their phone, but the mini version is so much cuter and can be played even when phones aren't allowed. My tween son has a keychain version that's quite popular among his friends, too. REI This lightweight pair of polarized sunglasses offer excellent protection from the sun with UV400, blocking both UVA and UVB rays. They fit well and comfortably with glare-reducing, polarized lenses, so they can wear them to all their many sports activities and hang this spring and summer. Baggu Miffy is back—and trending with teens and young adults. You can find Miffy plush again, clothing and even pimple patches. This Miffy print Baggu case for earbuds can be a sweet pick-me-up as they reach for their music, and of course is on-theme for Easter. Amazon If you have a crafty teen on your hands, this terrarium kit from STMT has everything they need to create a mini hanging plant feature for their room. With multiple colored rock and sand options, they can design it so it feels right to them. My kids have enjoyed multiple STMT sets in the past, including its jewelry-making kits. I think the company does a really nice job of bringing some more elevated activity sets to kids of a variety of ages—especially tween and teen girls. Adams at Love Play Grow loves terrarium and other slower-paced activity kits for teens. 'While teens pretend that they hate to play, they actually love to play,' she says. 'Their materials just look different. So it could be stacking stones, it could be those tiny terrariums.' Amazon If you've noticed that your teen gravitates toward all things soft and cozy, you're not alone. They seem to crave comfort and security—and today's teens love positive affirmations, which is maybe why smiley slippers like these were trending all holiday season on TikTok. Keep your teen smiling and their toes warm with their very own pair. Amazon Another fun stress reliever that comes in Easter-ready hues, Speks Crags Ferrite Putty feels calming in your hand. They're magnetic and stone-like, so teens can shift them back and forth in their palms, roll them between their fingers and otherwise play with this big-kid (ages 14 and up) fidget toy. They feel cool to the touch, have a bit of weight and some people even like the sound they make. Love Play Grow says these are 'another great anxiety reliever that your teens will appreciate.' The Forbes Vetted editorial team has researched and published dozens of gift guides, including those for kids and teens. We aim to recommend the highest-quality picks and also those that our editors love and have tested themselves as often as possible.
