After six years in development, Lost Ark Mobile was proudly showcased at G-STAR 2023 by Smilegate RPG, marking a significant milestone for the mobile iteration of the globally renowned PC MMORPG Lost Ark. Following the successful launch of Lost Ark on PC, the team at Smilegate has been working diligently, but keeping much of Lost Ark Mobile under wraps, until G-Star where they’ve given players a series of hands-on encounters to enjoy.
The team behind Lost Ark Mobile has signaled success to this long-term Unreal Engine 5 project as the team nears their Korean release. Over the past several years the game has generated immense curiosity regarding its development status and potential release date, but after showcasing both solo and group content during G-Star 2023, it seems as though Smilegate is finally ready to show the world what they’ve been working on.
Based on recent hands-on reports coming out of the event, Lost Ark Mobile is set to feature seven classes designed specifically for mobile platforms, the Warlord, Berserker, Devil Hunter, Bard, Summoner, Swordmaster, and Battlemaster, each offering their own style of combat and playability. As this is a built for mobile specifically, Auto-play is used heavily, which takes after other popular MMORPGs built for mobile like Black Desert Mobile. However, will this translate to a global version if and when one releases? If we're honest, it probably will, but it's too soon to tell for certain.
The storyline reportedly mirrors that of Lost Ark, with a few tweaks for the mobile version. Character customization was available during the G-Star event but due to the test nature, it may have been extremely limited, and more choices may be available when the game finally launches. There were two major events that offered some reasonably challenging content such as the Abyss Dungeon and Morai Ruins.
The game’s demonstration at G-STAR 2023 is a significant step in Smilegate nearing a target date for the mobile version of Loast Ark. Lost Ark Mobile currently does not have a release date, nor any mention of the game rolling out to global as of yet, but if we run parallels between Lost Ark PC and the current state of Smilegate’s mobile development, we can piece together that we’ll see Lost Ark Mobile head to global within a few years.