Despite mass Amazon Games layoffs, its Lost Ark studio is "turning our eye toward the future" with plans into 2026

The Lost Ark team reassures players that it's got plenty on the horizon moving into 2026 as publisher Amazon Games shuts down development on some of its other MMORPGs. Mass layoffs of approximately 14,000 jobs at the company have resulted in "significant role reductions" for its Irvine and San Diego studios, halting much of its first-party triple-A and MMO development, including the end of content updates for New World: Aeternum. That has naturally led to questions about Lost Ark's future.

Fortunately for Lost Ark enjoyers, it seems that Smilegate's creation isn't going anywhere quite yet. Amazon spokesperson Brittney Hefner told The Verge that its publishing arm "will continue supporting Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark with regular updates and community engagement," with regular content planned for the foreseeable future. While its endgame gear grind and multiplayer requirements can make it an intimidating prospect, the gameplay of Lost Ark puts it among the best free Steam games you can find right now if you're able to commit to it.

Having recently rolled out its ambitious US region merge, Smilegate says that the new network format is "holding up well," and it's "excited to announce that we will be keeping this structure (so no need for the back-up plan we announced before the merge)." The only change will drop alongside the major update on Wednesday November 19, and will affect where instances are created.

If you're using the party finder to make a group, the instance will be made in the lobby leader's world. Should you matchmake for an activity, it will default to NA East in the cases of mixed groups of any composition, but will use an NA West instance in the specific cases where the entire team is based there. The developer therefore encourages those who typically connect to NA West to consider using the party finder if you're having connection or ping issues.

Up next is the Kazeros Raid: Act 4 and the Kazeros Raid Denouement: Final Day, which will be arriving with the aforementioned November update. The first-clear race is set to kick off two weeks later on Wednesday December 3, with full details to follow in the coming weeks. Beyond that, however, the team says it's "turning our eye toward the future of Arkesia."

The Lost Ark 2026 roadmap is set to be unveiled in December. Expect your regularly scheduled video update with senior product community manager Roxanne Sabo, producer Henry Stelter, and associate franchise lead Matt Huston. "We're working to finalize the content plan for the end of the year, along with the next chapter for adventurers," the studio writes. "We're extremely excited for the upcoming journey and for players to learn about what's next."

Make the most of Arkesia's stunning scenery and bombastic battles with the best GPU in 2025. If you love Lost Ark's ARPG stylings but prefer to keep it solo, try the best games like Diablo instead.

Has Lost Ark kept you coming back, especially in the wake of its new Paradise mode introduced earlier this year? Stop by the PCGamesN Discord and tell us how you're feeling about its future.