Amazon Game Studios is stepping away from its remaining MMO publishing commitments, handing Lost Ark operations back to Smilegate in early 2027 and shifting Throne and Liberty live service to NCsoft in Q4 2026.

The transitions follow the pattern established after last year's layoffs and New World's maintenance mode announcement, with Amazon confirming the moves on official game blogs dated August 12, 2026. Character progression, saves, and wallets will carry over for both titles, though players face minor disruptions including wiped mail, friends lists, and guild data, plus the removal of Spanish language support from Lost Ark servers in October 2026. Long-term Crystalline Plus subscriptions have already been pulled from the Lost Ark store.

This completes Amazon's retreat from the MMO space it once pursued aggressively, leaving the Korean developers to manage their titles directly in the west. The company had previously stated it would continue supporting the games despite internal cutbacks, a position that proved temporary.

Community accounts and websites for the western versions will transition accordingly, with no reported plans for server closures at this stage.