gaming

Amazon exits MMO publishing: Throne & Liberty to NC in Q4 2026, Lost Ark to Smilegate

Amazon Game Studios will transfer Western live-service operations and customer support for Throne and Liberty to NC (formerly NCSoft) in Q4 2026 and for Lost Ark to Smilegate in early 2027. Amazon published and ran these free-to-play MMOs in the West but did not develop them. Most player data and character progress will move to the new operators, though Throne and Liberty will lose Steam-console cross-progression and players can opt out of data transfer. The handovers effectively end Amazon’s role as a Western MMO operator and return long-term operational control to the games' South Korean creators.

• Throne and Liberty Western operations transfer to NC (formerly NCSoft) in Q4 2026.
• Lost Ark Western operations transfer to Smilegate in early 2027.
• Most player data and character progress will be carried forward automatically; players must accept a new terms of service on first login or opt out (opting out prevents data transfer and requires restarting).
• Throne and Liberty will lose cross-progression between Steam and consoles after the transition, and both games may experience brief downtime during the handovers.