For years, we have had a proper MMORPG with Lost Ark, says our author Schuhmann. And we in Europe have to stay outside and probably will for years.
Exactly what people have been waiting for for 4 years has now happened: We finally have a hit MMORPG that meets the mainstream taste. That is the good news.
But there is also bad news: We in Europe will likely have to wait years for it.
Lost Ark takes elements from everywhere, offers a strong mix
This is Lost Ark: The first time Lost Ark was seen was at the end of 2014 in a trailer. Since then, the game has been portrayed as a kind of “Next Gen Diablo”, but at its core, it is an action MMORPG.
Lost Ark is nothing really new, no revolutionary game with innovative features, sandbox, SpatialOS and all the frills, but a classic MMORPG.
The only unusual aspect of the game is the ISO perspective, which we in Europe associate with Diablo, but which is “normal” for MMORPGs in Asia.
Lost Ark will be fully complete at beta launch. The action MMORPG builds on proven ingredients and combines them into something great and good.
In doing so, Lost Ark offers a colorful mix of all possible styles and directions: Cowboys in a science fiction setting meet classic martial arts fighters or quirky fantasy demons.
The depth of an MMORPG meets the fast-paced play styles of hack’n’slash action MMOs.
Koreans rave about the MMORPG
What sets Lost Ark apart: Reports from South Korea indicate that Lost Ark is simply fun and a “full-featured MMORPG”: a game that has an incredible amount to offer.
Although many are skeptical here in the West because we find it hard to reconcile “ISO perspective” and MMORPG, Lost Ark is a hit in Korea.
Observers highlight three main points:
- It is incredibly polished even in open beta, and feels rounded and coherent
- For a Korean free-to-play game, the cash shop is surprisingly fair and subtle
- Additionally, Lost Ark simply offers an incredible amount, especially in the endgame
Western players who have the chance to play Lost Ark rave about the game and try to convey its allure:
- YouTuber Arekkz Gaming says he considers Lost Ark one of the best games he has ever played
- Asia expert Steparu is currently releasing one unedited gameplay video after another
The problem: For most of us, Lost Ark is still not playable. The MMORPG is only available in a South Korean open beta. It is not actually intended for us Westerners to participate.
It is the same problem as with Blade & Soul. That looked fantastic in the first trailers from Asia back in 2010. While we were still playing “WoW: Wrath of the Lich King” here, a new MMORPG era was beginning in South Korea.
However, Blade & Soul only arrived in Europe in 2016. By then, there was nothing left of the “next-gen look” and we were already stuck with new, good-looking titles like Black Desert.
Asian MMORPGs have since developed a reputation for arriving in the West only when it’s already far too late.
Isn’t there any way to play it? It is possible to play Lost Ark as a European via VPN and account purchases, but it’s not really welcomed.
Furthermore, Lost Ark is currently being overrun by foreigners in South Korea. Smilegate is currently trying to keep the Chinese away. After all, South Koreans are already complaining about extremely long waiting times.
For most players from the West, there is no option to play Lost Ark just yet. Only a few people are dealing with account purchases via dubious forums and VPN accounts. Moreover, the language barrier deters most others.
When is it coming to Europe? At the moment, Smilegate has indeed expressed an intention to release Lost Ark in Europe and North America, but there is still no specific date.
Smilegate is a big name in Asia thanks to the shooter “Crossfire.” The money is mainly made in South Korea and China. However, here in the West, they have very little experience.
They even closed an office in Berlin, which Smilegate wanted to use to push Crossfire in Europe, back in April 2018. Smilegate probably needs a potent partner with experience in the West, like the publisher of Black Desert, Kakao Games. But no deal has been made known yet.
Only with the Chinese company Tencent did Lost Ark agree back in 2015 for a port to China, but that was only about a port.
That gives hope: It could actually help that the logically obvious expansion route for Lost Ark is blocked: China is currently closing down for political reasons.
This makes Europe and North America more attractive. Moreover, after BlizzCon, calls have been made for Lost Ark to speed things up. Players here are looking for a replacement for Diablo 4, which won’t be available until 2020.
But even in the best-case scenario, if Smilegate finds strong partners for publishing, it is likely to be 2020 before we can play Lost Ark in Europe. After all, the MMORPG is still in open beta and ports typically only begin with the release.
A comparable case is Black Desert. It started in July 2014 in South Korea in beta, and arrived here in the West on March 3, 2016. This would mean for Lost Ark that we could aim for approximately summer 2020 if everything goes optimally.
A port of Lost Ark to the West seems certain. But until it arrives, we will probably have to look enviously at South Korea, where they finally get the MMORPG that we have been waiting for years.
I certainly look over with some envy and already imagine how cool it would be to participate. I am already considering which of the classes I will play.
Is there an alternative? As an alternative, Lost Ark could actually be preceded by “Project TL.” It strikes a similar chord as Lost Ark, but Project TL isn’t even playable in South Korea yet. However, it comes from NCSoft, a company with its own publishing arm here in the West.
