"Power leveled through T1 and T2 then left for Elden Ring": Lost Ark is having a severe player retention issue

Despite the massive release hype that Lost Ark's western version had, the reception has somewhat reduced recently. This has been partly due to how Amazon Games has executed its western launch.

Many players have complained about the missing classes and features compared to the Korean versions. Successful titles like Elden Ring, released right after Lost Ark's launch, haven't helped matters.

Earlier on May 2, a player posted about the situation with the game. Reddit user u/NemesisRoxer notified others about finally reaching level 1400, considered near endgame content. However, they felt sad that they no longer had any friends to play with.

Other gamers also shared similar experiences with the game. Some stated that their friends had left early, while others spoke about different situations.

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Lost Ark users share details about reducing player count

The player count of video games reducing after a point in time is quite natural, and it happens with almost every title. The same has happened with Lost Ark's western version, whose player count has been reduced.

While the game still enjoys handy numbers, it's a far cry from what it once was.

One player shared their experiences of asking their friends to play the game. According to them, their friends played for a few days and never logged back in.

The user was unsure which one hurt them more, that their friends tried and rejected the title or that they didn't play at all.

Another user shared their experience of how their group was excited about the endgame stuff. Yet, just one player from the group is still playing the game.

Another gamer felt the leveling system of Lost Ark was the main cause of the problem.

Amazon Games' decision-making has often been questioned by players in the past. One player thinks that the way the publisher pushed different monetization systems is what has caused so many problems for the game.

Even the endgame tiers have similar problems, as expressed by one user. They claimed that everyone with whom they had reached T3 had quit. This user keeps giving them updates, but it's unlikely that they will come back.

One user accused the title of being a time sink and the main reason why many have given up.

Too much game time can also be problematic based on one gamer's experiences. They claimed that their friend used to play the game for large parts daily before getting burnt out.

For one player, this is the situation with every MMO. After getting hyped, they start every such title only to ditch it later and go back to games like Valorant.

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Lost Ark has lost much of the early momentum gained on launch. It's not just friends of players who have given up on the title. Amazon Games has already suffered this fate with New World. Its repetition with the new game could heavily damage its video game ambitions.