Heroes of Arkesia,
With Closed Beta just around the corner, we have some exciting information to share. While working alongside Smilegate RPG to bring Lost Ark to new audiences in North America and Europe, our teams heard loud and clear that players in other regions were eager to venture into Arkesia. To ensure that this beloved game can be enjoyed by more players, we’ve collaborated with Smilegate RPG to add Estonia, Latin America, and Oceania (for a total of 34 new countries) to the list of regions that will have access to Closed Beta and at launch in early 2022. We’re ecstatic to welcome in additional players from around the world, and hope you’ll join us for the adventures ahead.
Since we’ve added so many new countries in such a short period of time, our teams are still working to understand exactly what the support for the new regions will look like, while ensuring we don’t impact the launch timeline we’ve previously communicated. The full list of newly added countries can be found below, but first let’s dive into a few details of how we’re going to work to integrate these regions without impacting the upcoming Closed Beta test and our launch in early 2022. Here’s what we know so far.
Language Support
In-game
Our supported languages of English, German, French, and Spanish will not change for launch. Localizing a game with the wealth of characters, deep story, and expansive world-size of Arkesia is a daunting task, and if we decide to add more languages, support would not be ready for a significant amount of time after the launch in early 2022. If you’re curious and would like to learn more about our localization efforts, check out our September Team Update which shares a glance into the process.
Out-of-game
We currently support English, German, French, and Spanish out-of-game, and are working to add Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish languages to our out of game stores, website, and customer support before launch. We don’t have an exact timeline for when we’ll be able to add these additional languages, and we’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
Server Locations
Launch Servers
In addition to the North American and Central Europe servers planned for launch, we will be adding in South American servers for launch. We will continue to evaluate dedicated Oceania servers, but they are not currently planned for launch or beyond.
Closed Beta
The servers in South America will not be online for Closed Beta. While this may lead to a higher ping for players in some regions during Closed Beta, we wanted to make sure that everyone who wishes to participate is able to rather than exclude these new regions. Reminder that players can participate in our Closed Beta by pre-purchasing a Founder’s Pack, by signing up for a chance to participate on our tester sign-up page, or from giveaways during Closed Beta. It’s also worth noting that there is no region lock during beta or at launch, and players can choose their preference on the region selection screen. The default choice will be based on the connection speed and the best location will be suggested.
Countries with Access
Here is the list of additional countries that will have access to the Closed Beta and at launch: Estonia, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela, Belize, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Australia, and New Zealand.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to support Belgium and the Netherlands due to local laws and regulations regarding random in-game items.
We’re extremely excited for this journey and to welcome in the new players that will be joining us around the world. We will continue to share information and updates with you as soon as we’re able.
Thank you for your support! We’ll see you in Arkesia soon.
