There is a sign of life from Lost Ark, one of the hottest games of the coming years.
Lost Ark is like “Diablo 3 with more MMO elements, new graphics, and even more action.”
The hype for Lost Ark is based on a misunderstanding
There is quite a hype around the game, which is based on a misunderstanding. Lost Ark was once portrayed bombastically on major gaming sites years ago, as a kind of “Next Gen Diablo 3” that would be released any moment, because it already looked so complete in gameplay videos. That’s why a hype developed. Fans react horrified that Lost Ark does not appear in “The Hottest Games of 2017” lists.
The reality is: We don’t even know how far along the game is. A release date for Lost Ark could still be far away. One hasn’t heard much from the action MMO again, since it had its first closed beta in August 2016. And that’s also normal for this kind of game.
In South Korea, they develop games behind closed doors, occasionally letting players have a look during a beta phase, then closing the doors again for a long time until the next beta phase, which can be a year away.
- While here in the West a “Closed Beta” is the signal: It’s coming soon! We’ll be playing this in a month or two. They’re finished with development and are just testing a bit now. For us, a closed beta is often just a promotional effect, like a demo used to be.
- Means a Closed Beta in Korea: Some development step is just finished, it can also be a very early stage. The developers want feedback now.
However, between these Korean beta phases, very little is heard from the games.
Sign of life from Lost Ark
Now there’s at least a small sign of life. In South Korea, Smilegate is looking for local QA Game Testers, meaning playtesters, to take a closer look at leveling, jobs, quests, and the combat system. They have apparently been searching since January. Now in February, there is a deadline for the search to be completed.
Asia specialist Steparu thinks this could indicate a next closed beta in summer 2017.
By the way: Whether Lost Ark will come to Europe is still not so certain. Recently it looked like Smilegate is focusing on the Chinese market.
More about Lost Ark:
