Smilegate takes over Lost Ark's western servers as Amazon exits MMO development

Amazon Game Studios is handing off Lost Ark's western servers to original developer Smilegate in early 2027, ending its five-year run as the game's western publisher. Smilegate already operates all other global servers, so the transition puts the entire game under one roof.

Character progression, unlocks, save data, and wallet balances will carry over untouched. Active subscriptions are a different story — they'll be cancelled at the point of handover, and the 12-month Crystalline Plus subscription has already been pulled from the store. The official blog advises players not to buy new long-term subs, and says handling of remaining prepaid time is still being worked out with Smilegate. Players will also need to accept a new terms of service. Some data won't survive the move: in-game mail, friends lists, guild nicknames, blacklist memos, stronghold messages, and chat history will all be wiped, so the team recommends clearing inboxes before the new year. Spanish language support is also getting cut in the October 2026 update, leaving English as the only supported language on western servers going forward.

This is the latest fallout from Amazon's broader retreat from MMO development. The company announced New World's end-of-service in January, then followed that with mass layoffs hitting the New World team, an AI-powered game project codenamed Trident, and a Lord of the Rings MMO that never made it to release. Lost Ark launched in the West in February 2022 and built a substantial player base, but Amazon's involvement was always that of a publisher rather than a developer — Smilegate created and maintained the game throughout.

The western Lost Ark team signed off with a note to players: "From the bottom of our hearts: thank you for your passion, your patience, and for making Arkesia feel like home for five incredible years." No exact handover date has been confirmed beyond the vague "early 2027" window, so players have time to sort their accounts before the transition hits.