Amazon Games announced today that it is bringing one of the most popular MMOARPGs in Korea, Japan, and Russia to the west, for the first time. Amazon is publishing Lost Ark in the United States and Europe, partnering with current developer Smilegate in order to offer the title to new audiences.
Lost Ark first launched in three countries back in 2018 and is finally looking to expand to new markets. The game offers the ability to play as several different classes while battling through dungeons or in PVP modes that are quite similar to modes found in existing titles such as Destiny 2. Smilegate and Amazon games say the title has elements of MMORPG games while adding action combat mechanics.
Lost Ark is coming exclusively to PC sometime in the fall of 2021 and will also host an open beta this summer. Those who want to sign up for that beta can go to the game's official website, where they can also get more information about everything Lost Ark has to offer.
When Amazon Games and Smilegate launches Lost Ark in the west, the game will offer several different classes that can all be upgraded and changed as the player progresses through a story campaign and several various side missions. Some of those classes will likely remind players of other MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft while bringing a graphical style that is reminiscent of loot battle games like Diablo 3.
During a recent event, the Amazon Games team talked in detail about the game, which boasts millions of players in Russia, Japan, and Korea. In particular, the game leans on what it calls a Tripod System in order to boost a player's selected classes. The free-to-play game will allow users to boost their player up to level 50 and after that will need to spend a bit of currency to continue advancing their hero.
Those heroes will be able to take part in a deep combat system but will also have quite a bit of activities they can carry out during the character's "down time." When they aren't adventuring through Lost Ark's many dungeons, players can enlist a crew in order to sail around the title's expansive map. As players level up in the game, they will eventually be able to acquire a "song" that will unlock their own private island where they can set up a stronghold. All of this will be unveiled by Amazon Games later this summer, though neither the beta or the full launch date have been announced yet.
Lost Ark will launch for PC in the fall of 2021