After Amazon and Smilegate RPG announced their goals to change some characters' races during Lost Ark's localization process, a number of fans criticize the decision, calling it "censorship."

Amazon isn't known for its video games, though it does own the gaming-centric streaming site Twitch. Crucible's open beta was a flop, eventually resulting in its full cancelation the same year. This has led to skepticism over Amazon's upcoming game New World, its quality, and its sustainability. But perhaps the localization of the Korean MMO Lost Ark is the key to Amazon stepping into the industry. Lost Ark is considered one of the hottest video games in South Korea, having won several awards across multiple categories at the Korea Game Awards back in 2019.

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Now, its developer, Smilegate RPG, will work with Amazon to publish Lost Ark for a western release. But on the game's official website, the team announced its intentions to do more than simply bring the MMO to North American and European regions. Instead, Amazon will make changes to the races of NPCs to "make [the] audience feel more at home in Lost Ark." Because the MMO is a Korean game, nearly all of the NPCs in its world are White or Asian.

Some examples of these changes can already be seen through various pieces of media. On the game's website, players can check out Lost Ark's class customization system. They'll notice that the woman brandishing the example martial artist class is now Black, and many others now have varying skin tones as well, making Smilegate's MMO less homogeneous. Additionally, the NPC Federico's design has changed to feature a darker skin tone and a beard, shown in the Reddit post above.

However, some fans aren't happy about Amazon's change to Lost Ark's characters. While many gamers are happy to see the mindful adjustment, others are calling this "censorship." On the Lost Ark subreddit, one fan exclaims that having a game without a full white cast is "not allowed." As for the Steam forum, many users are concerned that Amazon is censoring the bodies of female characters, such as their legs. However, a developer has responded to the numerous claims, explaining that Amazon is simply using modest outfits for marketing purposes, but the game will remain the same in that regard.

And while many are concerned that Lost Ark's changes will occur across the board, the adjustments made to diversity will only affect the western versions of the game.

Lost Ark will release in Fall 2020 for PC.

MORE: Amazon's Lost Ark Offers Much More To Do Than Endless Combat

Source: ResetEra