Lost Ark Western Launch Delayed To Early 2024

Korean MMORPG Lost Ark won’t be launching stateside later this year, as announced during E3 2024. Smilegate and Amazon Games are pushing the release into early 2024 to allow ample time to address gameplay and performance feedback from the technical alpha held in June. Doing so gives the teams breathing room to get the game where it needs to be without overworking the designers. 

A lengthy statement posted on the game’s official Twitter account revealed that while the full launch is pushed back, a closed beta will take place November 4 through 9, giving players another chance to dive into the world of Arkesia. Those who purchased the game’s founder’s pack will have access to the beta. Everyone else will have to sign up on the game’s website. Check out the initial announcement trailer to see the game in action. Just ignore the parts that say it’s coming “this fall.” 

In an effort to better keep players in the loop, Smilegate also promises monthly updates and will launch a discord channel and forums in October.  The idea is to have an active community of testers and influencers for the developers to interact with and absorb feedback once the closed beta rolls around. 

Lost Ark launched in Korea in 2018 and is coming to the west thanks to Amazon Games. The multiplayer RPG will be free-to-play and centers on players combating a demonic dragon named Kazeros who returns after being previously defeated by a relic known as the Ark. The game spans seven large continents and has both PvE and PvP elements. The five players classes, Warrior, Martial Artist, Gunner, Mage, and Assassin, sport four sub-classes each, and the action overall looks more action-packed than the average MMO. It’ll be interesting to see how it fares in the west, especially compared to popular competitors such as Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft. 

What do you think of Lost Ark, and are you interested in giving it a shot? Let us know in the comments!