Korean MMO action-RPG Lost Ark has been delayed

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Lost Ark, a free-to-play Korean MMO being localized by Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG, was previously scheduled for a western release in Fall. Following a closed technical alpha in June, its release has now been pushed back to early next year.

According to the official announcement, it'll take more time than expected to incorporate changes based both on feedback from the alpha and recent updates made to Lost Ark's Korean version, and "to take the time to do it right while also ensuring we look after the wellness of our hardworking Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG teams."

Lost Ark is a gorgeous-looking Diablo clone that throws heaps of enemies onto the screen and then lets you take them out with over-the-top spells and attacks, all while dressed in outfits Liberace would have called "a bit much". Check out some of the nonsense characters in this trailer get up to, from summoning dragons out of the ground to slow-motion gun fu to stomping around in a clockwork mech. It also has romances, sailing, and of course there's fishing too.

A closed beta will run from November 4 to November 9 for anyone who buys a Founder's Pack, or you can sign up for a chance to be a tester. Smilegate says it'll provide monthly updates on progress, with official forums and a Discord channel opening in October.

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about the audio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.