Smilegate will rescue Lost Ark’s western servers, as Amazon ditches support while retreating from MMO development

Amazon Game Studios is fully exiting the MMO business, relinquishing publishing control of two major online games. Lost Ark will transition to developer Smilegate’s management beginning in early 2027, while Throne and Liberty will move to NC (formerly NCSoft) and subsidiary FirstSpark Games by the end of Q4 2026.

This marks Amazon’s complete withdrawal from MMO publishing, part of a broader strategic shift announced in October when the company reduced its focus on AAA and MMO development. While Amazon has invested significantly in in-house game development, it found greater success acting as a publisher for third-party titles like Lost Ark than with its own projects.

For players, the transitions will largely be seamless—accounts and progression will carry over across platforms including Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and NC’s Purple service. However, some data won’t migrate during the handovers, including in-game mail, friends list memos, group names, and guild information. Throne and Liberty’s full technical details for the transition are still being finalized and will be announced closer to the Q4 2026 deadline.

The handover represents a return to the developers’ home territories: Smilegate already operates Lost Ark’s other global servers, while NC assumes full control of Throne and Liberty’s operations. Both companies have thanked Amazon for its partnership in launching and maintaining the games, though the publisher’s retreat signals a significant exit from the competitive MMO market where it struggled to establish a lasting presence.

Smilegate will rescue Lost Ark’s western servers, as Amazon ditches support while retreating from MMO development

Sources