The Diablo-like hack ‘n slash Lost Ark is set to start a second closed beta in South Korea this summer.
The fan site Lostarkdatabase claims to have heard from a Smilegate employee that the second closed beta of Lost Ark is scheduled for June/July 2017. They heard this from another Smilegate employee. However, they all want to remain anonymous. The time frame is not set in stone either.
A “second closed beta” would likely last a short time before it becomes quiet again about the highly anticipated game. The first closed beta for Lost Ark took place in the summer of 2016.
It looks like a total of three closed beta phases are planned, followed by a “final test,” before the game then launches as an open beta in a soft launch.
Fans will probably have to wait quite a while for Lost Ark
No dates are mentioned in the plans. If there is a year between the first closed beta and the second, it looks rather bleak for a “permanently playable” open beta of Lost Ark before 2018/2019.
Hack ‘n slash fans should prepare to wait much longer for Lost Ark than they may assume.
Currently, there is no information about a version for North America and Europe. It may still take a long time before Lost Ark is playable outside of South Korea.
The PC market in Korea has significantly declined in recent years. Mobile games dominate the previously heavily “MMORPG”-oriented market. Lost Ark is considered one of the interesting projects being observed in the West. Lost Ark could sate a craving that many fans have felt since Diablo 3.
Therefore, Lost Ark has been eagerly awaited by genre fans since its first presentation a few years ago. It looks like Lost Ark will remain a wishful thought for a long time. But perhaps we will get more information in June/July when the next beta truly kicks off.
In this article, we introduce other action RPGs like Diablo that one can expect in the coming years:
