The developers of the MMORPG Lost Ark have once again confirmed that they want to bring their MMORPG to the global market. This is expected to happen in 2020 after the release in Japan.
What’s new about Lost Ark? At the major Asian gaming convention “G-Star,” the PC MMORPG Lost Ark not only won a huge number of awards but also announced some new information.
In an interview, the developers from Smilegate reiterated their aim for a “global release.” The “overseas offensive” is set to begin as soon as Lost Ark is successfully published in Japan by Neowiz. This is expected to happen at the beginning of 2020.
Additionally, Smilegate has confirmed that they are working on both a mobile and a console version of Lost Ark.
What does this mean for us? Even though the developers do not explicitly talk about a European release, the interview is still a good sign.
Lost Ark is an IP that has attracted a lot of attention from players abroad. I believe the overseas market has a lot of potential.
Cheong Ji-gl, Smilegate developer
Therefore, Smilegate is planning a full offensive for 2020 with the goal of gaining recognition internationally as a major developer. The developers are convinced this will drastically increase the company’s value.
Moreover, work is ongoing on a console version of Lost Ark. Since the gaming market in Asia is massively dominated by mobile titles, the console version should target Western players more.
Is a European release in 2020 realistic? In the past, Smilegate has taken a long time to release their MMORPG in other countries. The Russian version of Lost Ark went into open beta almost a year after the release in Korea, and the Japan launch is not yet officially confirmed.
Until now, Smilegate has only spoken about a “global release,” so we cannot say for sure which country will follow Japan. It is also possible that a North American version will be released first.
No publisher for the European release has been announced yet. Possible candidates would include both Mail.ru, which operates the Russian version of Lost Ark, as well as Neowiz, which is responsible for Japan. However, it could also be a completely different publisher that will handle the European release.
Realistically, a launch in 2020 is quite possible, but it would probably not happen before the end of the year.
What do you think? Do you expect Lost Ark to come out in 2020? Or do you believe that the developers will keep European players waiting?
