https://mmoculture.com/2018/11/lost-ark-rumors-claim-china-server-is-starting-closed-beta-soon/
The “teaser” site is back online https://lostark.qq.com/ (no changes besides now answering to https requests).
It’s not clear if Tencent had prior approval (before the moratorium earlier this year on new games) to publish LOST ARK. If this is the case, then it would make sense to see a closed beta test for the Chinese service once the Korean service transitions from its current open beta test designation, to an official launch.
This would also fill in the “lost in translation” aspect of Smilegate’s CEO comment regarding “striving to launch new games at more developed countries like the US and Europe” by putting it into better context. If Smilegate does end up keeping to its original schedule and does announce the Chinese beta next, the “new games” part was meant to not be specific to LOST ARK. Smilegate also had some mobile titles like Epic Seven which they had slated for a global release (at the time of that September article, Epic Seven had not yet been launched globally); it was launched globally earlier this month (November 3rd).
There are several more mobile titles that have only been launched in Korea (ChaosMasters, WarReign, and Arcane Straight) which might be part of that “new games” comment. My point is merely again to reinforce why I mentioned about keeping expectations in check for the western version of the game until there is an actual official statement by the company regarding just that (including any inklings of whether or not they will end up self-publishing or not).
