Lost Ark – the great MMORPG hope
This is Lost Ark (PC): It is a full-fledged MMORPG, but it plays in an isometric perspective, which we in the West associate with the Diablo series. Currently, Lost Ark has already been released in South Korea and is causing a stir. Western observers are also fascinated by the new MMORPG.
This is how the development has been so far: Development has gone well and as planned – just unusually for us Europeans. Because in Korea, games often flash only for a few weeks over the years. They show a demo or open a beta.
Then they disappear for a whole year. They go “dark,” as they say. In the West, however, games dare to enter the public eye only when they are almost finished and remain in discussion continuously.
What is a normal development cycle in Korea seems so to us in Europe as if a game is eternally in development and actually already old news. Because the development cycle in Korea runs differently and games are presented 5 years before release. In any case, Lost Ark is out and is being celebrated – but so far only in South Korea.
This is Lost Ark at its best: We already know what Lost Ark is and what excitement it triggers in Korea: a full-featured MMORPG with the face of a hack and slash and with a wild mix of styles, which has a lot to offer and even relies on a fair cash shop. Ideally, the game comes to Europe as soon as possible.
This is Lost Ark at its worst: In the worst case, we will have to wait a long time for Lost Ark, and then it comes poorly localized or with a payment model that does not please us here in the West – such as an aggressive cash shop.
This is planned for 2019: Lost Ark is in an open beta in South Korea and will soon release the first major content update: the continuation of the story arc on a completely new continent.
The MMORPG has already found a partner for a release in Russia and intends to also come to Europe and North America. However, there is no timeframe for that. Also, among the readers of MeinMMO, Lost Ark is the game they are looking forward to the most in 2019.
With betas here in the West, one can probably expect the earliest at the end of 2019. Those who feel adventurous and overcome some hurdles can now already play Lost Ark from Germany in South Korea.
