Publisher Amazon Games redefines strategy and transfers Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty to developers
Amazon Games is reformulating its approach to the multiplayer online games (MMOs) market and will hand over management of two of its main titles in the West: Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark. The announcements represent a significant change in the way the company has been operating in publishing MMOs.
The Throne and Liberty game will once again be managed by developer NC and its subsidiary FirstSpark Games starting in the fourth quarter of 2026. Lost Ark will move from Amazon back to its original creator, Smilegate, with the transition scheduled for early 2027.
Instead of maintaining direct operation of the games, the technology giant is returning responsibility to the companies that developed them. This decision marks the end of two major Amazon service commitments, following years of experience in regional publishing, community management, customer support, localization and content operations.
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Throne and Liberty publication transition scheduled for 2026
Amazon will transfer publishing and live support operations for Throne and Liberty in the West to NC and FirstSpark Games in Q4 2026. The game has been under Amazon’s management in the region for nearly two years, during which time it has received regular content updates, events, maintenance, and location-specific support.
For players, the expectation is that most of the game’s essential elements will remain unchanged after the change.
This includes the transfer of characters, progression, inventory, access rights, game data, regions, servers, and platform access, unless players opt out of the migration process. The game will continue to be available through Steam, PlayStation and Xbox, maintaining cross-play functionality between these platforms.
For its part, NC will introduce its PURPLE platform as a new access point, with support for cross-progression between Steam and PURPLE. However, this functionality will not extend to other platforms.
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Amazon also warned that some major updates may be delayed until after the transition phase. While routine content updates and bug fixes will continue, larger releases such as the “Nix” update may be delayed to ensure data migration is viable.
The transformations expected for Lost Ark in the year 2027
Amazon’s departure from management of Lost Ark will occur in early 2027, when developer Smilegate will assume direct responsibility for the Western version of the title. With this change, the original company will take care of publishing, live operations, customer support and the game’s internal store.
Lost Ark players will retain their Steam accounts, characters, progression, inventory, items, access rights, purchases, and wallet balances. Account migration will be automatic unless users choose not to participate.
After the transition, players will need to link their Steam accounts to Smilegate systems and accept the developer’s new Terms of Service. There are some important exceptions regarding data created by users themselves.
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Elements such as messages from the internal mail system, chat history, friends and blocked list notes, guild member nicknames, messages in stronghold gifts, and other free text content will not be transferred.
For this reason, Amazon advises players to claim any important items from internal mail before the transition is complete. Smilegate will also take over management of the game’s official website and all community channels.
The impact of Amazon’s departure on MMO games
Amazon Games’ decision to transfer publishing and operations of Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty signals a reevaluation of its strategy in the MMO segment. By returning the management of these titles to their original developers, the company seeks to optimize its resources and focus on other areas, while title players can expect a continuity of experience with direct management from the creator studios.
