Lost Ark
News, coverage and analysis tracking Lost Ark across the outlets.
Latest coverage
MMO Week in Review: Lament for BioWare
Electronic Arts has officially shut down the legendary studio BioWare, laying off 400 employees in the process. This move has been met with significant criticism, highlighting concerns about venture capital and corporate practices in the gaming industry. Several other MMOs and studios also saw news this week, including updates on MapleStory Classic World, Chronicles of Elyria, and the closure of Zenith.
Lost Ark releases its Arbiter of Death update with a showdown against the eponymous foe
Lost Ark has released its latest update, introducing the Arbiter of Death, Belgardin, as the boss of a new Shadow Raid. This update adds a new reward track and the Vambrace equipment slot to enhance player power. The raid requires players to complete a prologue quest and have an item level of 1750 for Normal difficulty, featuring new mechanics like the Gate Save System and Holding Just Guard.
Lost Ark shares its roadmap for the next three months with new raids and new equipment
Lost Ark is transitioning from Amazon's service to Smilegate's operation in North America, with a new three-month roadmap focusing on new content. The update includes an 8-player raid in Belgardin with new bracer equipment in October, Kazeros Act 3: Extreme and a multi-boss event in November, and a new winter skin in December. The article notes the continued absence of finding the titular lost ark.
Lost Ark adds the Dimensionalist class and applies several changes to high-tier progression in latest update
Lost Ark has released its latest update, introducing the new male Specialist class called the Dimensionalist, who can manipulate space. The patch also revamps high-tier character progression from Tier 3 to Tier 4, adjusting honing mechanics, rewards, and material requirements. Several new and returning events, along with bug fixes and update gifts, are also included.
Steam earned Valve $15 billion in revenue so far this year, with Crimson Desert alone topping $203 million according to…
Steam has generated $15 billion in gross revenue so far this year, with projections indicating it will exceed $20 billion by year's end. Crimson Desert emerged as the most successful new intellectual property on the platform, earning over $203 million. While no single game dominated, titles like Forza Horizon 6 and Resident Evil Requiem also performed strongly, contributing to Steam's significant revenue growth.
MMOs Have “Stagnated,” Guild Wars 3 Studio Head Says
ArenaNet studio head Colin Johanson believes the MMO genre has stagnated, with many players still engaging with games over a decade old. He aims for Guild Wars 3 to introduce "wild, crazy ideas" to revitalize the genre by addressing approachability and respecting players' time, offering a less demanding experience than traditional MMOs.
Lost Ark delays its next server merge to September 9 and is re-opening Paradise
Lost Ark has delayed its next server merge from September 2nd to September 9th due to a previous merge causing 35 hours of downtime. Additionally, an issue with the Paradise content, which incorrectly granted Elysian challenge attempt tickets, has been resolved and the content reopened, though the erroneously granted tickets will not be restored.
MMO Week in Review: Gamescom, Asura, and Ascension
Gamescom was the dominant event this week, bringing news for numerous MMOs including launch dates for Aion 2 and Path of Exile 2, and trailers for Dune Awakening, Sea of Remnants, and Cinder City. Star Citizen's Squadron 42 received another delay into 2027, while Guild Wars 3 revealed its Asura, and Blizzard shut down another World of Warcraft private server. Other news included updates for Throne and Liberty, Ultima Online, and The Division 2, alongside discussions on game design, AI training lawsuits, and the shutdown of the Project Ascension World of Warcraft emulator.
Lost Ark has begun its final Amazon merge down to just five total servers today
Lost Ark is undergoing a significant server consolidation, reducing its global player base to just five servers. This process, managed by Amazon before the game's publishing rights return to developer Smilegate, began today and could take up to 24 hours. Compensation will be provided to players after the merges are successfully completed.
Massively Overthinking: What did your favorite MMORPG add to the genre?
This article discusses whether popular MMORPGs have truly innovated within the genre or simply built upon existing foundations. Several writers share their favorite MMORPGs and analyze their contributions, with Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Guild Wars being highlighted for their significant impacts on social gameplay, economies, and business models.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 576: Peering into the future of MMOs
The Massively OP Podcast episode 576 features hosts Justin and Bree discussing the future of MMORPGs, including Star Wars: The Old Republic's update plans, World of Warcraft's latest patch, and delays for Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty due to Amazon's exit from publishing. They also cover Q2 MMO financials and introduce a new 'spotlight of the week' segment.
MMO Week in Review: Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty are going home
Amazon has announced it will cease publishing duties for the MMORPGs Lost Ark and Throne & Liberty, returning them to their respective studios, Smilegate and NCsoft. The article also touches on updates and developments for other MMOs including EverQuest Legends, World of Warcraft, Ashes of Creation, and Star Wars The Old Republic.
Vague Patch Notes: How Amazon blew up money unnecessarily and left online games unceremoniously
This analysis critiques Amazon's approach to online game publishing, citing the premature cancellation of Crucible and the relinquishing of publishing rights for Blue Protocol and Throne and Liberty back to developers Bandai Namco and NCsoft, respectively. The author argues that Amazon's strategy involved excessive spending and a focus on potential hits rather than fostering the development of its games, contrasting it with the successful turnaround of Final Fantasy XIV.
Amazon’s MMO run will be coming to end sooner than thought
Amazon Game Studios is ending its Western publishing operations for the MMOs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty. Smilegate will take over Lost Ark in early 2027, while FirstSpark Games/NCSoft will manage Throne and Liberty starting in Q4 2026. This marks a significant shift for Amazon's ambitions in the MMO publishing market, following the shutdown of New World and the cancellation of other projects.
Amazon is severing ties with two other MMOs
Amazon is transferring publishing rights for the MMOs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty to other companies. This move indicates a shift in Amazon's strategy for its involvement in the massively multiplayer online game market.
Amazon Will Soon Be Out Of The MMO Business Entirely
Amazon Game Studios is exiting the massively multiplayer online (MMO) business entirely, handing over Western operations of "Throne and Liberty" and "Lost Ark" back to their original developers, NC and Smilegate, respectively. This move follows the earlier shutdown announcement for their own MMO, "New World," and the cancellation of a "Lord of the Rings" MMO. Amazon had previously published and operated these live-service titles in the West.
Amazon to give live service operations of Lost Ark to Smilegate
Amazon is transferring the live service operations for the MMORPGs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty in Western territories to Smilegate, the games' developer and original publisher. This change will take effect in early 2027 for Lost Ark and Q4 2026 for Throne and Liberty, with no expected impact on player experience. Smilegate will assume full responsibility for managing these titles in North America and other Western regions.
Amazon to rescind its publisher role on Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty by early 2027
Amazon Game Studios will cease its publishing roles for the MMOs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty by early 2027, returning them to their respective developers, Smilegate and NC. This transition marks a shift for Amazon away from third-party MMO publishing as they focus on other ventures like Amazon Luna and first-party development.
Amazon drops Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty
Amazon is ending its publishing deals for the MMOs Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty in Western markets. NCSoft will take over publishing for Throne and Liberty near the end of 2026, while Smilegate will do the same for Lost Ark in early 2027. This move signifies the end of Amazon's significant ambitions in the MMO publishing space, following earlier shifts away from big-budget game development.
Amazon are getting out of the MMO game, handing control of Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty to developers, but it won't all be smooth for players
Amazon Game Studios is exiting the global publishing of MMOs, handing over control of Lost Ark to Smilegate and Throne and Liberty to FireSpark Games. While Amazon will cease live service operations for Lost Ark in early 2027, some player data like chat history and friend memos will be lost. This transition aims to align global updates with Korean releases for Lost Ark and is expected to be less disruptive for Throne and Liberty. The move comes as Amazon shifts its focus away from external publishing and internal MMO development.
