Amazon is stepping away from the MMO business. The company confirmed it will transfer Western live operations for both Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty back to their original developers, ending its role as publisher for the two titles.
Throne and Liberty will move first. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2026, live operations in the West will transfer to FirstSpark Games and NC (formerly NCSoft). Lost Ark will follow in early 2027, when Smilegate assumes full control of Western servers, publishing, customer support, and the in-game store.
The moves complete a broader retreat. Amazon had already scaled back its first-party MMO ambitions, including placing New World into a reduced support state and cutting significant numbers of roles tied to MMO development. Unlike New World, however, Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty are not being shut down. Both games will continue under the studios that created them.
Player accounts and progress are expected to carry over. For Lost Ark, Amazon and Smilegate have stated that Steam accounts, characters, inventory, items, entitlements, purchases, and wallet balances will transfer. The migration is planned to happen automatically for most players, though they will need to link accounts to Smilegate’s systems and accept new terms of service after the handoff. Similar continuity is expected for Throne and Liberty when NC and FirstSpark take over.
Amazon originally brought both games to Western audiences as a publisher. Lost Ark, developed by Smilegate, launched in the West in early 2022 and quickly became one of the most-played games on Steam. Throne and Liberty, developed by NCSoft with FirstSpark Games, arrived later and followed a similar model of Amazon handling regional publishing, marketing, and live operations while the Korean teams continued developing content.
That arrangement is now ending. Once the transitions are complete, Amazon will no longer operate any major MMOs. The company had previously said it would continue supporting the two titles even after pulling back from internal MMO development. The latest announcements show that support will instead take the form of an orderly transfer rather than ongoing Amazon-run service.
For players, the practical effect should be continuity of service with a change in who runs the servers and customer support. Content updates will still originate from the original development teams, which has largely been the case already. The difference is that regional publishing, community management, and store operations will sit directly with Smilegate and NC instead of routing through Amazon.
The decision fits a pattern of large tech companies reassessing how deeply they want to stay involved in live-service games. Running MMOs requires sustained investment in operations, customer support, and ongoing content, even when the core development remains with an external studio. By returning the Western versions to their creators, Amazon removes that long-term commitment while avoiding the negative optics of closing the games entirely.
Lost Ark has been in Western service for more than four years under Amazon. Throne and Liberty has had a shorter run but followed the same publishing model. Both titles retain active player bases, and the developers have continued releasing updates throughout the Amazon era. The coming transitions will test how smoothly large MMO populations can move between operators while preserving progress and store purchases.
Amazon’s MMO chapter is effectively closing. New World was wound down as an internal project. Lost Ark and Throne and Liberty are being handed back. When the final transfers finish in early 2027, Amazon Game Studios will no longer be in the business of running massively multiplayer online games in the West. The titles themselves will continue, just under different management.
What are your thoughts on the hand offs? Do you think it's the right move for Amazon? Let us know your answers in the comments!