Embark on an odyssey for the Lost Ark in a vast, vibrant world: explore new lands, seek out lost treasures, and test yourself in thrilling action combat in this action-packed free-to-play RPG.
DEV: Smilegate RPGPUB: Amazon Game StudiosAppID 1599340
DEVELOPER POSTSevery ~6d·last 22d ago·9 recorded in 6 months
3recent developer posts shown belowSelected from the developer record, separately from press coverage. Announcements are not necessarily shipped patches.
Last successful news check: This is our collection date, not the date of the latest patch.
Newest in this record ·
Arbiter of Death - October Update
From the recorded announcement
HEROES OF ARKESIA,Death itself takes the field. Belgardin, Arbiter of Death, arrives as a new Shadow Raid for your most seasoned teams, bringing a new combat trial, a new reward track, and the all-new Vambraces equipment slot to push your power further than before. Beyond the raid, this update expands the Tier 4…
Read more of this announcement
HEROES OF ARKESIA,Death itself takes the field. Belgardin, Arbiter of Death, arrives as a new Shadow Raid for your most seasoned teams, bringing a new combat trial, a new reward track, and the all-new Vambraces equipment slot to push your power further than before. Beyond the raid, this update expands the Tier 4 endgame with new stages of Chaos Rift, Guardian's Shade, and Haal's Hourglass, plus a higher Chaos Gate bracket for the strongest adventurers. You can read the full list of new content, systems, store offerings, and other changes here.
Heroes Of Arkesia,The Dimensionalist has arrived, wielding the power of dimensions to reshape the battlefield. This update also brings a major overhaul to gear progression that streamlines the path from Tier 3 into Tier 4, making it faster for new and returning adventurers to reach endgame. Alongside the new class,…
Read more of this announcement
Heroes Of Arkesia,The Dimensionalist has arrived, wielding the power of dimensions to reshape the battlefield. This update also brings a major overhaul to gear progression that streamlines the path from Tier 3 into Tier 4, making it faster for new and returning adventurers to reach endgame. Alongside the new class, you will find Advanced Honing easing, new Growth Boost Shop items, additional Guardians in Guardian's Shade, balance changes across every class, four events including Jump-Up Boost and Maharaka Returns, new cosmetics, and more. Downtime will begin on September 16 at 12 AM PT (7 AM UTC) and is expected to last approximately 6 hours. Read the full list of new content, events, store offerings, and other changes here.
Heroes of Arkesia,After nearly five years of shared adventures in Arkesia, we’re writing today with an update on the future of Lost Ark in the West. Starting in early 2027 Amazon Game Studios will end its live service operations of Lost Ark, with Smilegate taking over going forward. We are excited about the future of…
Read more of this announcement
Heroes of Arkesia,After nearly five years of shared adventures in Arkesia, we’re writing today with an update on the future of Lost Ark in the West. Starting in early 2027 Amazon Game Studios will end its live service operations of Lost Ark, with Smilegate taking over going forward. We are excited about the future of Lost Ark and feel this is a positive outcome for the game's players, as we are handing the game back to the developers. This way, their passion for Lost Ark will live on and players can continue their adventures in the world of Arkesia. Whether you joined us on day one or discovered Arkesia more recently, you are the heart of this community. Every raid completed, every tap and every friendship forged along the way are moments that exist because of you. Your feedback and passion have been instrumental in evolving Arkesia into the world it is today. From continuous content updates and events to countless memories created together, our team is deeply grateful for this shared journey with our dedicated player community. While this marks the end of Amazon Game Studios’ service of Lost Ark in the West, we want to acknowledge that Arkesia will continue to thrive here and other regions where Smilegate supports the game. The bonds formed in Arkesia will live on. For more information on the transition visit our official site.
70.3% of 203,172 Steam reviews are positive, which after adjusting for sample size gives a reception score of 70.2. The developers have shipped 2 substantial updates in the past six months, adding 15.6.
reception 70.2·support +15.6·Strong
Computed from Steam’s own review tally and observable developer activity — never from anyone’s opinion of the game. How this is calculated
Should you look into this?
From Steam's own record
Development
Slowing down
Last heard from developers
22 days ago
Historical posting rhythm
every ~6 days
Substantial updates (6 mo)
2
Current silence
4× normal
Posting has slowed: the developers usually appear every 6 days, and it has now been 22. 2 substantial updates recorded in the past six months.
Last successful news check: Nov 10, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC. This is when we checked Steam, separate from when the developer last posted.
Before buying, confirm the edition, Steam activation and availability in your region. Search results may include DLC or other editions.
Distilled by the oracle
Our coverage
1 dispatch written from this game’s announcements
patchAug 12, 2026
Amazon Game Studios to Exit Lost Ark in Early 2027, Smilegate Takes Over
Amazon Game Studios has announced it will end its live service operations of Lost Ark in the West in early 2027, with original developer Smilegate stepping in to take over going forward.
The announcement, posted to the Lost Ark Steam community on August 12, 2026, frames the transition as a positive development for players — describing it as returning the game to the people who built it.
What changed
Amazon Game Studios will cease Western live service operations in early 2027
Smilegate will assume control of the game's ongoing operation in the West
The game will continue running; this is a handover, not a shutdown
Amazon cites nearly five years of shared service as context for the transition
Players are directed to an official site for further transition details (not reproduced in the source)
Amazon's statement characterizes the move as handing the game "back to the developers," noting that Smilegate already supports Lost Ark in other regions. No specifics about what, if anything, changes for players at the moment of transition — billing, regional servers, account data — are addressed in the announcement.
For a game that has run under a third-party Western publisher since launch, the shift means its long-term continuity now rests directly with the studio that created it.
Two years of development
■ substantial ■ routine
45 announcements · 15 substantial · 11 months with nothing
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21 октября в MMORPG Lost Ark стартовало обновление «Бельгардин», главным событием которого стал рейд Теней «Бельгардин, Длань смерти». Приключение разворачивается на архипелаге Кадарум, где распространяется загадочная зловещая энергия. Новы…
HEROES OF ARKESIA,Death itself takes the field. Belgardin, Arbiter of Death, arrives as a new Shadow Raid for your most seasoned teams, bringing a new combat trial, a new reward track, and the all-new Vambraces equipment slot to push your p…
Heroes Of Arkesia,The Dimensionalist has arrived, wielding the power of dimensions to reshape the battlefield. This update also brings a major overhaul to gear progression that streamlines the path from Tier 3 into Tier 4, making it faster …
Smilegate, the developer of South Korean MMO Lost Ark will be taking control of the Western servers that were previously run by Amazon Game Studios. Likewise, FireSpark will be taking control of Throne and Liberty's servers. Though, the tra…
Heroes of Arkesia,After nearly five years of shared adventures in Arkesia, we’re writing today with an update on the future of Lost Ark in the West. Starting in early 2027 Amazon Game Studios will end its live service operations of Lost Ark…
Heroes of Arkesia,The August update brings the Kazeros Raid: Act 2 Extreme, a limited-time Extreme difficulty version of the Phantom Manifester Brelshaza encounter with Normal, Hard, and Nightmare tiers. Challenge the raid with your party, …
HEROES OF ARKESIA,The summer heat brings new challenges. The Kazeros Raid Act 1 Extreme will push your raid party to the limit across three escalating difficulty tiers. Solo Mode expands to Kazeros Raid Act 4 and the Denouement, and a new M…
Heroes of Arkesia,We have a few things to share as we head into the July update.EVENT SCHEDULE CHANGESThe Kazeros Challenge Express, Twilight Road, Twilight Exchange Shop, and Mokoko Bootcamp will be ending on August 19, earlier than the or…
Heroes of Arkesia,Craft an original emote for the chance to get your creation into Lost Ark. You can focus on your favorite character, create the perfect reaction for a preferred activity, or anything else — as long it is Lost Ark themed! H…
Watch some of your favorite Creators race through Corvus Tul Rat, Gate 2 Nightmare, spanning two days. Event starts June 12, 12 p.m. PT and day one will be hosted by Stoopzz. Day two on June 13, 12 p.m. PT will be hosted by Johnpal.Whether …
Heroes of Arkesia,A new chapter begins. Uncharted islands have emerged from the mists, a forgotten cathedral holds new challenges, and a massive wave of progression events is here to help you and your friends gear up for what comes next.Thi…
Heroes of Arkesia,Argos is back. The Holy Beast has been reimagined as a standalone frost-themed event encounter, and whether you cleared the original on day one or never got the chance, Snowflake Argos has something for you.This update int…
Heroes of Arkesia,We caught up with Smilegate to learn what went into creating the new Shadow Raid experience.After the fall of Kazeros, the Primordial Beings have begun to stir. Serca, the Witch of Pain, makes her debut in Arkesia. Shadow …
Heroes of Arkesia,The Shadows Rise and await your arrival.This update features loads of new content, including the very first Shadow Raid - Serca, Witch Of Pain, new Tier 4 progression with Destined Tremor Gear, challenging solo content inc…
Seeing developers leave a job they love always hurts, and yet I didn't expect the latest Lost Ark roadmap video to hit me quite this hard. Recent restructuring at Amazon Games saw two of the faces of the MMORPG, community manager Roxanne Sa…
Embark on an epic adventure across the continent of Arkesia with every step you take. Face overwhelming battles against the Abyss Lord, Kazeros, in intense combat that unfolds before your eyes. Experience Lost Ark in a stunning new dimensio…
Some high-profile layoffs at Amazon Game Studios has Lost Ark fans worried that the game is approaching its end of days, despite still putting up decent player numbers on Steam. In a message posted on its website, the Lost Ark dev team ackn…
The future of Lost Ark seemingly hangs in the balance, as key members of the Amazon Games team announce their departure from the studio that brought Smilegate's Korean-first MMO to a global audience. In response, the team has shared a messa…
Heroes of Arkesia,The March Ends of the Abyss update arrived yesterday, bringing a host of quality of life and balance updates, a major story chapter, new progression events, and much more. While the maintenance took longer than expected (d…
Heroes of Arkesia,Welcome to the Ends of the Abyss.This update features the epic conclusion to the Kazeros storyline, balance changes, Guardian Raid improvements, Paradise Season 3, and more. Downtime will begin on March 11 at 12 a.m. PT (7…
The March update, the Ends of the Abyss arrives on March 11 alongside Paradise Season 3, balance changes, quality of life changes, and more. Welcome to Eye on Arkesia, where Roxx delivers the latest news on all things Lost Ark.This release …
Heroes of Arkesia,We have a few topics we wanted to share updates on, so this team update will focus on weaving together items and thoughts for the next few months. Roxx will join you for Eye on Arkesia later this week to cover most of the …
Heroes of Arkesia,With a variety of new and returning players fresh in their journeys along with veterans beginning new journeys on Guardianknight or other classes, the beginning of February has been an exciting time in Arkesia. We’re worki…
For the fourth anniversary of Lost Ark's release in the west, the MMO action-RPG added a bunch of skins that, in the original Korean version, were designed by and then voted for by players. The results are mostly in line with what you might…
Heroes of Arkesia,Happy Anniversary! This weekend will mark 4 years since the world of Arkesia launched in the early access window and many of our adventurers began their journeys. We planned a lot of special activities for this week, make …
Lost Ark gave me a real surprise when Amazon Games brought it across from Korea to a global audience. With ARPG combat reminiscent of Diablo, but a structure that quickly reveals its hand as more of an MMORPG, it's a strange fusion that sta…
Heroes of Arkesia,Support your favorite Lost Ark Twitch streamer from now until March 3 as part of the game’s 4th anniversary to receive an Argos Skin and Pet Selection Chest: Kakul Saydon, plus an exclusive Mokoko Badge for Twitch chat. Al…
Heroes of Arkesia,The flames of vengeance have arrived.This update introduces the new Guardianknight class, Challenge Express, Event Powerpass, progression system revamp, skill recommendation revamp, quality of life improvements, milestone …
Heroes of Arkesia,Join Smilegate for a behind the scenes preview of the Guardianknight class before she devastates Arkesia on February 4. Q: What was your goal when designing this new class?We wanted to create a special class without relyin…
The new Guardianknight class releases on February 4 as part of the Guardians’ Rage update, plus Lost Ark’s fourth anniversary celebration. Watch this month’s episode of Eye on Arkesia to learn more.Whether you're a longtime player intereste…
