author: Miriam Moszczynska
Amazon to Blame for Lost Ark's Problems? Some Players Still Think So
Amazon Games is blamed for all the evil that happens in Lost Ark. A part of the community is trying to break this narrative, pointing out that it is not AGS, but Smilegate that is responsible for the development of this MMORPG.
It is usually the case that the developer and publisher of a title are two different companies. This is no different in the case of Lost Ark - the game was developed by Smilegate RPG and Amazon Games is responsible for its publication. The distinction between the two companies is important because Amazon is wrongly blamed for the game's condition.
Who's to blame.
Lost Ark is not doing too well but it's still far from the failure that is New World. However, patches and updates to fix the game are not the responsibility of AGS, as some might think, but Smilegate. This has been said some time ago, but apparently this point needs to be constantly reminded.
As we read in this short note, Amazon and Smilegate are indeed working together, but the former company does not have the slightest influence on what happens in terms of game development.
Not (just) Amazon's to blame
Nothing is black and white in life, and it is no different in the case of Lost Ark. Between the development of the game and what the community demands, there is an intermediary, which in this case is Amazon. Most players see the communication as the reason for Lost Ark's condition.
"They [Amazon - ed. note] are the publisher and take responsibility for the developers' mistakes. We can't give our feedback directly to SG, so it goes through AGS anyway."
"AGS is solely responsible for communication, and they are TERRIBLY BAD AT IT"
"I really have no idea how people still don't understand this, it's been pointed out repeatedly that Amazon doesn't make changes to game development/design. Smilegate has sole control over these areas as the developers of the game.
Frankly, I think the reluctance to criticize Smilegate borders on almost obedient mystical worship, whereas it is Smilegate that controls what is in the game, in their "perfect machine". [...]"
As the issue of who is responsible for the game seems to fade into the sea of information from time to time, we can expect that gamers will still blame Amazon for the situation. Of course, the publisher is not blameless, but it shouldn't get hit by collateral for something that is not its responsibility.
