Amazon Game Studios will cease its role as publisher for the massively multiplayer online games Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty in the coming months, as the company further scales back its gaming division. This move signifies Amazon's ongoing retreat from game publishing.
Previously confirmed through blog posts on each MMO's official website, Throne and Liberty will be the first to transition, with Amazon's support ending in the fourth quarter of 2026. Following this, publishing responsibilities will return to FirstSpark Games and NC (formerly NCSoft). Players will retain access to their existing characters and accounts on PC and consoles, with an option to opt out of data transfer to NC.
Lost Ark is slated for a similar transition in early 2027, with developer Smilegate taking over western publishing duties. Upon this change, Lost Ark players will maintain their progression, account details, and in-game names, though some communication features like messages, friends lists, guilds, and chats will be inaccessible. Players also have the option to prevent their data from being transferred to Smilegate.
Amazon Game Studios had positioned itself as a significant MMO publisher in the early 2020s, releasing its own title New World and bringing Asian MMOs like Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty to Western markets. However, since October of the previous year, Amazon has been divesting from its gaming ventures. This includes setting an end-of-service date for New World, canceling King of Meat, withdrawing from publishing Maverick Games' Clutch and the MOBA March of Giants, and implementing layoffs within its development teams.
Currently, Amazon Game Studios remains committed to publishing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, and party games for its cloud gaming service Luna. Additionally, Amazon gaming GM Jeff Gattis has indicated an interest in publishing future James Bond titles.
Lost Ark is available on Windows PC, and Throne and Liberty can be played on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.