Amazon Withdraws from MMO Market, Hands Over Throne and Liberty and Lost Art Operations to NC and Smilegate

August 13, 2026 Update: Amazon Game Studios has terminated its publishing agreement with Smilegate for the MMO Lost Ark. Smilegate will assume control of Lost Ark's live service operations in early 2027, as Amazon completely exits the MMO space. Until then, Lost Ark will continue to operate under Amazon. Player account data will be automatically transferred, with no changes to characters, progression, or items, and wallet balances will also be transferred in full. August 12, 2026 Original Story: The global publishing service for Throne and Liberty will be transferred from Amazon Game Studios to NC. NC aims to complete the migration by Q4 2026, managing the MMORPG under a single online service. FirstSpark Games, an NC subsidiary, is working with Amazon to transition technical and operational services while preserving the gameplay environment and assets across all platforms. Player account details will remain unchanged across all platforms, including Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and NC's cross-platform gaming service Purple. NC stated, 'For years, Throne and Liberty has been shaped by an incredible community under Amazon Game Studios. As the creators of Throne and Liberty, we believe this is the right time to take a more direct role in supporting the game and helping shape its future.' FirstSpark Games CEO Moonyoung Choi added, 'Amazon Game Studios has been an excellent partner, and we're grateful to have launched and maintained our MMO thus far with their team. Taking a more direct role in global publishing makes sense for us, and we're thrilled to lead the next chapter of Throne and Liberty directly as NC.' Throne and Liberty launched in October 2024, reaching over three million players in its first week. Despite its success, Amazon Game Studios' MMO portfolio has declined in recent years. In January, it announced the shutdown of New World: Aeternum. Development of the game paused last year following wider layoffs at Amazon as it reduced its focus on big-budget titles, particularly MMOs. A month later, Amazon announced it would shut down Glowmade's online multiplayer dungeon crawler King of Meat after the game failed to find its intended audience. In May, reports indicated that Amazon cancelled its Lord of the Rings MMO, developed in partnership with Embracer Group and Middle Earth Enterprises.