All articles tagged with #smilegate
Amazon Game Studios is exiting the MMO space, transferring Throne and Liberty to NCSoft in Q4 2026 and Lost Ark to Smilegate in early 2027; most player data will move automatically (with an opt-out option) and Throne and Liberty cross-progression between Steam and consoles will end, though both games will continue operating in the West during the transition.
Amazon Game Studios will stop supporting Lost Ark’s Western servers and hand control to Smilegate in early 2027, with Western social accounts and the official site moving away from Amazon; account data and progression remain, but in-game mail, friends lists, and chat history will be wiped, and Spanish language support will be dropped by October 2026; subscriptions will be canceled and some store items removed; this is part of Amazon’s broader retreat from MMO development following layoffs linked to New World.
Smilegate, the developer of Lost Ark, has announced the introduction of Jump-Start servers, aimed at providing a fresh beginning for new or returning players. These servers will offer faster progression and independent gameplay, allowing players to experience the unique raids, dungeons, and character systems of Lost Ark. Each region will have its own Jump-Start server, and while initially isolated, Smilegate plans to reconnect them with their respective regions within the next six months. The new servers will open on September 13th.
Lost Ark's new Slayer class, a female-exclusive two-handed DPS class, will be available in North America and Europe in May 2023 as part of the game's content roadmap. Players will need to create a new character to access the Slayer, which is already available in the Korean version of the game. Lost Ark has received several major content updates since its Western release in February 2023, including the addition of new classes and overhauls to its gold system.