Asmongold explains why Lost Ark has potential to stick around after hype dies
Smilegate / Twitch: Asmongoldasmongold-lost-ark
Asmongold believes Lost Ark has the potential to stick around after the hype dies down, and he explained why, claiming it has “well-designed retention systems” to keep players hooked.
Lost Ark has dominated player count charts and viewership numbers ever since it launched on February 9.
Almost three weeks have passed since then. However, the hype is still going strong, unlike New World, continuing to florish in the face of new titles like Elden Ring.
Asmon is convinced there’s a reason behind it. He told fans Lost Ark is designed in a way that encourages players to pace themselves in the form of ‘time-gating’, which in turn, encourages player retention.
Smilegate“Lost Ark does a good job of pacing players and also time-gating and preventing players from finishing the game really fast,” explained Asmon. “That’s why it’s retaining players even after they’re hitting level 50.
“You’re seeing such high retention because Lost Ark has very well-designed retention systems to keep players throttled from completing the game too fast unless they spend a ton of money.”
Asmon thinks another intended feature plays a big part too — the amount of built-in depth: “There’s also a tonne of secondary systems. Things like collecting the cards.”
Not everyone is convinced the hype won’t die down. Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel and Jeremy ‘Disguised Toast’ Wang think it’s only a matter of time before it happens. Elden Ring’s release could draw attention away too as the weekend hits.
Either way, Lost Ark was a smash-hit right out of the gate, which means it’s doing something right. Asmon is in for the long haul, claiming it’s a “breath of fresh air” compared to other MMOs like World of Warcraft.
