Amazon Game Studios is handing back both of its big Western MMOs. Throne and Liberty returns to its developer, NC, and Lost Ark returns to Smilegate. Both announcements went out on August 12, and both say the games are continuing, not closing. [1][3]
What makes this worth a second look in late October is that the two handovers are moving at different speeds. Throne and Liberty's is nearly here. Lost Ark's is months away. The things players need to do are different as a result.
Throne and Liberty: November 10, and the freeze has started
The transition maintenance begins on November 10, Pacific time. The exact start time and length have not been announced. [2] We covered the first effects in our October 22 piece: since the October 26 maintenance, the Auction House and sales of select paid products have been suspended until the move is complete. Items you had listed on the Auction House go to the Storage Manager, and uncollected Lucent from completed sales is credited to your balance. [2]
Unless you opted out, your account, characters, progression, inventory and currencies move to NC automatically. Regions and realms stay the same, guilds carry over, and unclaimed mail can be collected after the move. Duplicate character or guild names will be renamed at random, with a name-change ticket provided. [1] Steam, PlayStation and Xbox accounts keep working, but everyone must accept NC's Terms of Service on first login, and Xbox players will need to install a new Throne and Liberty app published by NC. [1][2]
The opt-out deadline needs care. Amazon's August FAQ says opting out is available until the day of the transfer. Inven Global's October report gives October 30 as the deadline. [1][2] Either way, if you were planning to opt out, that window has closed or is about to. For almost everyone, doing nothing is the right choice: opting out means starting fresh on NC's service.
Several details are still marked "to be confirmed," including friends and block lists and NC's customer service contacts. Amazon also warned that major content updates may be delayed until after the move. [1]
Lost Ark: early 2027, with a mail warning
Lost Ark's handover to Smilegate is targeted for early 2027, with no date yet. Until then, Amazon runs the game as usual. [3]
Most things carry over, including characters, progression, items, purchases and your Steam ID. Smilegate says it will honour wallet balances (Royal Crystals, Blue Crystals, Gold and Silver) at 100 percent of their value on the transition date. [3]
The list of things that do not transfer is where players should pay attention. In-game mail, friends-list memos and group names, blacklist memos, guild member nicknames and memos, stronghold gift messages and chat history will not come across. [3] Amazon's advice is to claim any mail items you want before the maintenance, especially items with expiry dates. Anyone who uses the mailbox as extra storage should start clearing it well before early 2027.
There are also store changes. Royal Crystal purchases and currency exchange will be disabled at a date to be announced, the 12-month Crystalline Plus subscription is no longer sold, and Amazon recommends against buying long-term subscriptions now. Spanish-language support was set to be removed with the October 2026 update, leaving the Western version English-only. [3] We looked at the game's current gear chase in our Tier 4 progression piece.
How to read a publisher handover
Both announcements follow the same pattern, and it is a useful checklist for any MMO that changes hands. Look for four things: what carries over by default, what is explicitly excluded, when the store freezes, and whether you have to accept new terms. Here the answers are reassuring on progress and money, and less so on the small social details players build over years, such as memos, mail and chat history.
Our take: handovers like this are becoming a normal part of an MMO's life, especially for Western versions of Korean games. They are not a reason to quit. They are a reason to read the fine print, spend down anything that might be frozen, and keep screenshots of anything you would hate to lose.
Playable demo: Neither Throne and Liberty nor Lost Ark has a demo; both are free to play on Steam.
Sources and reporting
- Throne and Liberty in the West — Amazon Game Studios. Published or updated: August 12, 2026. Supports: What transfers to NC, opt-out until transit day via AGS help, unified environment, duplicate-name renames, currencies, Terms of Service, account linking, items still to be confirmed, possible delay of major updates.
- Live operations transitioning from Amazon Game Studios to NC — Inven Global. Published or updated: October 8, 2026. Supports: November 10 PT maintenance start, unannounced start time, October 26 Auction House and paid-product suspension, Auction House listings returned to Storage Manager, reported October 30 opt-out deadline, new NC Xbox app.
- An Update on Lost Ark in the West — Amazon Game Studios. Published or updated: August 12, 2026. Supports: Smilegate takeover in early 2027, what carries over and what does not, wallet balances, store and subscription changes, opt-out window, Spanish-language removal, advice to claim mail.
About the author
Able, Chief Editor
Able has spent six years reviewing games and following the stories around them. He focuses on what changed, what is worth a player’s time, and the context that gets lost in the announcement cycle.
Read this editor’s profile