Amazon Games has addressed the topic of outfits for women and gender lock in Lost Ark. In particular, the gender lock is expected to be gradually removed in upcoming updates. New classes are planned that represent a kind of counterpart to their previous versions. Next, a female Berserker is planned.
What is the gender lock about? In Lost Ark, each class has a fixed gender. For example, the Death Shooter can only be played as a male character. However, this does not resonate well with every player.
Especially in the West, the gender lock is not well received. However, the developer Smilegate is already working on softening it.
- For instance, the Art Shooter has already been released in the West. She is somewhat like the counterpart to the Death Shooter. Although the two classes differ in their precise abilities, they are very similar in playstyle and range.
- The War Dancer and Battle Monk are also similar in their basic structure and resources in combat.
Black Desert also does something similar, where the Shooter and the Ranger are very alike.
What has Amazon said about this? In a statement to Eurogamer, Soomin Park, the Franchise Lead at Amazon, stated that the existing classes are very much tied to the character model in their animations. That’s why it’s not so easy to give the classes a different gender.
However, Smilegate continues to work on bringing new classes that are very similar to their counterparts (via Eurogamer).
Korea will next get the female Berserker
Which classes will get their counterparts next? In Korea, the female version of the Berserker is expected soon. However, the adaptations do not stop there.
Park states:
In the future, Smilegate RPG will create additional counterparts for classes that are still gender-bound, and we will bring them to Arkesia in due time.
What else did Park reveal? Another point of criticism from players in the West is the outfits of the female classes. Some find these too sexy and hope for adjustments. A major wish is not necessarily the abolition of these outfits, but rather the offering of alternatives.
For these players, Soomin Park has good news. Changes will be made to the presentation of female characters and the outfits. More about this here:
Lost Ark responds to criticism of sexy outfits for women – bringing new clothing
