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Lost Ark is not shutting down. Amazon Game Studios plans to hand operation of the Western service to Smilegate in early 2027. Amazon says the game will remain playable and that it will continue updates, events, and support until then. Most Steam account data and wallet balances are expected to transfer, but some player-written messages and notes will not. The change also affects support, the store operator, refunds, and the terms players accept.
What is changing—and what is staying
Amazon announced on August 12, 2026 that it would end its live-service operations of Lost Ark in the West, with Smilegate taking over. This is an operator and publisher transition, not a planned game shutdown. Amazon’s announcement says, “Lost Ark is not ending,” and says it will continue operating the service and providing regular updates, events, and support before the handover. The statements describe the announced plan; the exact transition date has not been set in the notice. Read Amazon’s transition announcement and FAQ.
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| Expected to stay or transfer | Expected to change or be excluded |
|---|---|
| Steam account access; characters, progression, inventory, entitlements, purchases, and wallet balances | Service operator, customer-support provider, in-game store operator, Terms of Service, and the refund policy for purchases after transition |
| Continued play without repurchasing or reinstalling, according to the FAQ | Specified player-written messages and notes, as well as chat history, will not transfer |
| Existing Royal Crystals, Blue Crystals, Gold, and Silver balances, which Amazon says Smilegate agreed to honor at 100% of their value at transition | Transition maintenance and the exact timing for currency-purchase and exchange cutoffs are still to be announced |
The balance commitment concerns those wallet balances at their value as of transition; it is not a promise that future prices or unrelated purchases will be treated the same way. Amazon says players who do not opt out will link their Steam account to Smilegate’s systems on first login and accept Smilegate’s new terms. The FAQ says the game will be fully playable after the transition.
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What happens to your account and player-created data
Core game data and purchases
According to Amazon’s FAQ, characters, progression, inventory, entitlements, purchases, and wallet balances are planned to move with the service. Players who continue will use their Steam account and complete the account-linking process when they first log in after the handover. The FAQ says there is no need to buy the game again or reinstall it.
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Messages and notes that will not move
The FAQ lists these exclusions from the transfer:
- In-game mail titles and body content
- Friends-list memos and group names
- Blacklist memos
- Guild-member nicknames and memos
- Stronghold gift messages and quiz data
- Chat history
Claim wanted or expiring mail before the handover, as Amazon advises. The transfer notice also distinguishes personal-data categories: it names IP addresses, chat/message history, and free-text content among items excluded from transfer, while Steam ID and game data are transferred for continuity. It does not say that all personal data either transfers or stays behind.
Opting out means losing progression continuity
The opt-out window opened on August 12, 2026 and is scheduled to close before transition. If you opt out, Amazon says your game data will not transfer. The FAQ specifically warns that if you later choose to play on Smilegate’s service, your characters, progression, and inventory will not carry over. This is therefore not a routine privacy setting for someone who may want to continue playing with their existing account.
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Changes to purchases, subscriptions, and support
Wallet balances and currency purchases
Amazon says Smilegate agreed to honor the full value of existing Royal Crystals, Blue Crystals, Gold, and Silver balances as recorded at transition. Premium-currency purchases and currency exchange are expected to be disabled closer to the handover, but the notice does not give a cutoff date. Check the official transition FAQ for an announced date rather than assuming purchases will stop on a particular day.
Steam listings and the in-game shop
The FAQ said selected Steam listings—Crystalline Aura subscriptions, T4 Founder’s Packs, and the Abyssal Support Pack—were to be removed from sale starting August 26, 2026. It also said items already purchased would remain in-game and Crystalline Aura would remain available in the in-game shop. This was a change to those Steam listings, not a notice that all in-game purchases stopped on August 26.
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Subscriptions and refunds
Amazon said active subscriptions such as Crystalline Aura would be cancelled before transition with notice. The 12-month Crystalline Plus subscription had already been removed from sale by the time of the transition notice. Amazon recommended against starting new long-term subscriptions because the handling of remaining prepaid time was still being finalized with Smilegate. Before transition, Amazon’s FAQ says its policy is no refunds; Smilegate will set its own refund policy after taking over. The notice does not establish how prepaid subscription time will ultimately be handled.
Support, terms, and language
The customer-support provider and Terms of Service will change with the operator. Amazon’s FAQ says Western Lost Ark would become English-only after Spanish-language support was removed with the October 2026 update; players who rely on Spanish should check the current live service information for confirmation. Amazon also says it will stop operating Lost Ark’s social accounts, Discord, and official website after transition, and that playlostark.com will be taken over by Smilegate. The notice did not yet provide Smilegate’s future support contact details.
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Transition timeline and content updates
| Date or period | Announced change or status |
|---|---|
| August 12, 2026 | Amazon announced the Western service handover for early 2027 and opened the opt-out window. |
| August 26, 2026 | Selected Steam listings were scheduled to be removed; the FAQ distinguished these from items and Crystalline Aura available in the in-game shop. |
| September 16, 2026 | “Dimensions Unbound” release notes announced that the Dimensionalist class and a Tier 3-to-Tier 4 gear-progression overhaul were live. The notes also covered Advanced Honing improvements, more Growth Boost shop items, and additional Guardians. See the release notes. |
| October–December 2026 | The September 16 roadmap planned further content, including the Belgardin raid and Bracers for October, plus late-year raid and event content. Roadmap plans are not confirmation that an item has launched. See Roadmap Part 4. |
| Early 2027 | Target period for Smilegate to take over Western operations. The announcement did not specify a day or maintenance schedule. |
What the roadmap said about Belgardin
The September 16 roadmap described Belgardin as an eight-player, two-gate endgame raid, with announced entry levels of 1750 Normal, 1770 Hard, and 1780 Nightmare. It described Bracers as a new equipment type earned and upgraded using Belgardin materials. Those levels and features were roadmap details, not evidence that the raid or equipment had already gone live. Check current release notes for the latest status.
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What players should do before the handover
- Decide whether you intend to continue. If you opt out, Amazon says your data will not transfer and your characters, progression, and inventory will not carry over if you later choose Smilegate’s service.
- Save or claim what you need from mail and notes. In-game mail titles and bodies, friends and blacklist memos, group names, guild-member nicknames and memos, stronghold gift messages and quiz data, and chat history are among the excluded items.
- Review subscriptions and planned spending. Amazon recommended against new long-term subscriptions while prepaid-time handling remained unsettled. Watch official notices for the premium-currency purchase and exchange cutoff.
- Expect a first-login linking step. Players who continue are expected to link Steam to Smilegate’s systems and accept the new terms after the transition.
- Check official updates near the handover. The exact date, maintenance window, Smilegate support contacts, currency cutoff, and final prepaid-subscription arrangements were not specified in the August announcement and FAQ.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
