New World will delete expired usernames upon New World: Aeternum's release date on October 15. This means that any username that has not been active prior or after October 15 will be deleted and will be made available for new players to use. New World will NOT delete player characters, but only the usernames.

Any character with an old inactive username that's logging back into the game will have to rename their character first before being able to play. To avoid this, log into the game now, and keep logging in within 6 months to retain activity. But if your gaming has been reduced to just logging into the game, it's probably better to stop playing the game altogether.

On the flip-side: if you want a name change, don't log in for 6 months then come back afterward.

New World: Aeternum will release on current-gen consoles XBox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 this October 15.