Amazon Game Studios is stepping away from the massively multiplayer online (MMO) business, transitioning the Western operations of its titles Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark back to their original developers. This move signifies a complete withdrawal from the MMO genre for the company.
In the coming months, NC (formerly NCSoft) will assume control of Throne and Liberty's Western operations in the fourth quarter of 2026. Subsequently, Smilegate will fully regain reins of Lost Ark in early 2027. While Amazon did not develop these games directly, it acted as the publisher and managed live-service operations and customer support in Western markets.
Both free-to-play titles experienced initial success, with Lost Ark notably achieving high player counts on Steam at launch. However, both games have seen their player bases decline over time. The transition is expected to involve some downtime as operations are handed over, but both games are intended to continue running in the West. Most player data and character progress will carry over, making the transfer largely seamless for players, who will only need to accept new terms of service upon their first login after the change.
Throne and Liberty will see a change in its cross-progression capabilities, with the functionality between Steam and consoles ceasing after the transition. Players who wish to opt out of the data transfer will have the option to do so, though this will result in the loss of all character data and progress, requiring them to start anew.
This pivot away from MMOs follows a period where Amazon appeared poised to establish itself as a significant player in the genre. The company released its own MMO, New World, in 2021, which garnered substantial initial player numbers on Steam but struggled to maintain momentum. This was followed by the successful Western publishing and operation of Lost Ark in 2022 and Throne and Liberty in 2024. Amazon had also planned to publish the anime MMO Blue Protocol in the West, but that project was ultimately canceled.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced that New World's servers would be shut down in early 2027, despite a recent console release and a series of updates that had rekindled player optimism. Additionally, a Lord of the Rings MMO, which was reportedly in development by the New World creators, was also allegedly canceled amid layoffs at Amazon Game Studios, further underscoring the company's departure from the MMO landscape.