Lost Ark was first released in 2019 in South Korea, before being published by Amazon Games in further regions in February 2022. It was a game that took the world by storm, topping charts worldwide and dominating platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Since it launched globally, many people have begun asking, is Lost Ark dead? As the player count has dipped slightly and the attention has been taken off the game, we’re taking a look at the future of Lost Ark.
We believe there’s still plenty of life left in Lost Ark. It may have lost a considerable portion of its player base, but that’s how the lifecycle of any new game goes – it’s unfortunate, but it’s simply a fact. And, while numbers may have dropped considerably, there’s still plenty of strength and resiliency left in the community to keep the heart of Lost Ark beating enough to keep the game alive.
For those saying that Lost Ark is dying, we’re offering a counter-argument in this breakdown.
Is Lost Ark Dead?
Image Credit: SteamCharts.com
When Lost Ark was released in EU and NA regions, it dominated Twitch, and some of the best streamers in the world became heavily involved in the game. At its peak, it boasted almost 1.3 million concurrent viewers on Twitch, with several thousand channels streaming it at the same time. There are so few games released that hit these kinds of numbers, so immediately, the top MMORPG, Lost Ark, had a strong beginning.
In August of 2022, Lost Ark peaked at 182k concurrent viewers on Twitch. Does that sound like a game that is dying? Typically, the average concurrent viewership on Twitch floats around 24,000 viewers – numbers that many games can only dream about. Furthermore, according to SteamCharts.com, the game is performing remarkably well in terms of the number of those actually playing it.
According to the statistics found on the platform, Lost Ark peaked in February 2022 with 1,324,761 concurrent players. At the time of writing this breakdown, the 24-hour peak on Lost Ark sits at 128,074. That’s still an enormous amount of players online at one time, and it places the game in 8th place overall, according to the site.
It certainly doesn’t seem like Lost Ark is dying.
What is Happening with Lost Ark?
Image Credit: Lost Ark
There’s a healthy roadmap in place to support the ongoing development of Lost Ark. There have been some controversies surrounding the game, but overall, the outlook for the platform remains positive. In recent months, concerns have surfaced regarding play-to-win mechanics, lootbox features, and RMT issues, but as a whole, the community appears to be ‘dealing with it’ quite well.
Behind the scenes, Amazon Games has had some issues with server stability, but it’s not a problem that is being ignored. On the 20th of June, 2022, it was revealed that 300,000 players were stripped from the game as part of a ‘ban wave’, which is a common enough occurrence in multiplayer games. This is a situation replicated in titles like Escape from Tarkov and Call of Duty: Warzone, and ultimately, it’s of no real concern.
There’s plenty in store for the game, and for those asking, ‘is Lost Ark dying’, the definitive answer at the moment is, no. No, Lost Ark is not dying.
As we write this breakdown, Prime Gaming loot is available and a Twitch Drop campaign has just kicked off. It was just days ago that the Under the Arkesian Sun update was released, and the first competitive season of the game wrapped up. While we’re not expecting esports tournaments to surface anytime soon in Lost Ark, it’s another angle for players to actively enjoy the game.
With a healthy, dense roadmap ahead, consistently high player and viewer numbers, and the support of Amazon Games, it seems highly unlikely that Lost Ark is dying anytime soon.
