The MMORPG Lost Ark will start an Open Beta in South Korea in November 2018. A release in Europe, however, seems to be planned for 2020.
On Monday morning our time, a media event took place in South Korea. They are a few hours ahead of us. Smilegate spoke in detail about their plans for the launch of Lost Ark in South Korea.
When does Lost Ark start? The Open Beta of Lost Ark starts on 7.11. From then on, Lost Ark can be played constantly; previously, the beta phases were time-limited.
The launch is officially still an “Open Beta.” However, since there will be no wipe afterward and Lost Ark is based on a Free2Play model, it is a kind of “soft launch.” In South Korea, this is already the “de facto” release. The official release later is just a formality: When enough content is available, the publisher will hold an event and say, “Okay, now it’s released.”
Lost Ark – Release in Europe maybe 2020?
Are there any news about a release in Europe? There were no major news about a release in Europe or North America. According to a Reddit translation, it was mentioned in a Q&A session that they are keeping an eye on the West but want to focus first on South Korea.
Fans speculate that this could mean that Lost Ark will come to China in 2019 and to Europe and North America in 2020.
Smilegate has repeatedly hinted at planning a release in the West for the new MMORPG – but this seems to be further away than feared.
Isn’t Lost Ark coming to Europe too late? Let’s compare it to other games:
- Black Desert was released in December 2014 in an Open Beta in South Korea – it came to Europe in March 2016. That would be the best case.
- Blade and Soul was released in June 2012 in an Open Beta in South Korea – it only came to Europe in January 2016. That would be the worst case.
If Lost Ark really comes to Europe in 2020, that would still be relatively early, even if it feels late for us Westerners.
What was the event about? There was a new cinematic trailer for Lost Ark.
During the event, the future plans for Lost Ark were revealed. It was about how Smilegate will continue to develop Lost Ark now that it is live.
The promises here are huge and diverse:
- There will be housing where you can invite NPCs through a friendship system
- A lot of new content is coming: fresh zones, classes, raids, NPCs, stories
- Especially the endgame will be developed further with increasingly harder raids that drop better gear
Free2Play with “Convenience Items” in South Korea
What is the business model of Lost Ark? The MMORPG will follow a typical Free2Play model in South Korea with numerous advantages that can be obtained in the cash shop, making gaming easier. Additionally, it focuses on cosmetics.
There are
- skins
- mounts
- increased number of dungeon visits (and thereby faster items)
- more inventory space
- and similar things.
However, the developers say that you won’t get the best items faster by paying. Moreover, it is said that if the game comes to the West, some systems may need to be adjusted.
Can people from the West participate in the beta? That is possible, but it involves some tricks. Actually, the Open Beta is only for South Korea – anyone who wants to participate must procure an account, usually through grey market sites, and then use a VPN client to pretend to be in South Korea. Those who have done this already report a ping between 200 and 300.
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