Amazon Ends Publishing for Lost Ark & Throne and Liberty

August 13, 2026 - 18:16

The company behind two of the biggest free-to-play MMO releases in recent years is quietly pulling out of that space. Amazon Games, which handled the western launch of Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty, has confirmed it will no longer publish either title moving forward. The decision marks a clear shift in strategy for the tech giant, which had positioned itself as a major player in the online role-playing game market.

According to internal communications and public statements, the publisher will hand over operational duties to the original Korean developers. Smilegate will take full control of Lost Ark, while NCSOFT will manage Throne and Liberty directly. Existing players should not see immediate changes to servers or live events, but the transition will likely bring shifts in monetization and content pacing over the next few months.

Amazon Games is not leaving gaming entirely. The company still has its own internal studios working on original titles, and it continues to support New World, which it developed in-house. The move suggests a more focused approach, steering away from third-party publishing deals that require heavy live-service support. For fans of the two MMOs, the change brings uncertainty, but also hope that the original teams will deliver updates closer to what they originally envisioned.