Lost Ark player numbers have been significantly reduced after a wide ban wave. This has effectively cut the number of players on Steam by two-thirds. This has left many players wondering why the player count has dropped so much and so quickly.
Amazon Games made a statement on the PlayLostArk forums, stating, "This week, many players have noticed a drop off in the number of concurrent users displayed in Lost Ark’s Steam stats. This change is the direct result of a roll out of a significant number of bot account bans, which utilized new and highly-effective tactics to target and remove bots from the game."
Related: How to start the Lost Ark x The Witcher Limited Time Event
Why have Lost Ark player numbers dropped dramatically?
This isn't the first time Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG have dropped the ban hammer. They have routinely banned numerous bot accounts, hackers, and cheaters in the past and intend to continue monitoring accounts for bannable offenses in the coming months. It seems that this ban has also affected players that have not been inactive for a certain amount of time.
This means that not only are bots being banned but players are being banned simply for not being in the game after too long of a period. This then puts a ban on players' Steam accounts, as the game is tied.
For more information on Lost Ark, check out Lost Ark x The Witcher Limited Time Event Start and End Dates and Lost Ark Reaper Guide – Builds, Engravings and Tips on Pro Game Guides.
Justin has been diving into fantasy worlds since he can remember. He is a certified nerd who has a deep love of reading, writing, and hiking. He has been writing since his college days, but specifically in gaming for two years. His favorite games are The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Hollow Knight, Celeste, and Banjo Kazooie.