It has become quiet around the once flagship MMORPG Guild Wars 2 by NCSoft. Our reader Erzkanzler is getting to the bottom of it.
I see a cause for the current state of Guild Wars 2 in the player-friendly update strategy of the game. At first, this sounds contradictory, but it becomes clear compared to other MMOs. Blizzard, for example, releases big expansions year after year at inflated prices. In WoW, the expansions are usually extensive. Even players who have left WoW return by droves during an expansion to check out new areas, classes, raids, and mechanics.
Even if they are not engaged for long, they buy the expansion and thus support the further development of the MMORPG.
The Living World is the Problem of Guild Wars 2
ArenaNet, on the other hand, is hindering itself with Guild Wars 2. The reason for this is the so-called “Living World” – an update philosophy that constantly expands the game in smaller story and area expansions. These updates are free for players who log in during the month of release. Anyone who missed an episode can unlock it later through the in-game shop.
The effects on the game are mostly marginal. The majority of players seem to be sufficiently occupied with the multitude of options offered in the game. They explore the world, frolic in dungeons and fractals, or bang their heads together in PvP: either in “World vs. World” or in competitive sPvP.
Guild Wars 2 offers game content for months or even years, even without updates. And if that is not enough, one can turn to the only released paid expansion Heart of Thorns and gain access to various additional content.
There is no point to return to Guild Wars 2
And this positive trait becomes a problem for Guild Wars 2. There is hardly ever a time when it is worth it for former players to return. I myself have played it for a long time and intensively. Since Guild Wars 2 does not have a subscription model, I stop by from time to time to take my horde of characters for a short walk.
Even as a keen observer, I repeatedly miss new features and smaller expansions. When I take the time to read up on the content expansions since Heart of Thorns in the well-maintained wiki of the game, even the summary is a sight to behold.
- The raid that came with the expansion Heart of Thorns has been expanded by two wings,
- the use of gliders in the areas of the former base game has been enabled,
- new legendary weapons have been implemented,
- new fractals (dungeons) and PvP maps have been added.
- And last but not least, the world map has been expanded with four new play areas.
Not bad for free content, right?
Guild Wars 2 lacks impact
If these contents were bundled and released in an update, a large part of the regular players would surely be willing to pay for this content. But of course, no one complains about free content. However, this strategy of “small chunks” prevents former players from seeing the entirety of the changes, and the media response is – who would have expected it – lower than with major, paid expansions. Potential new players are also harder to attract this way.
ArenaNet has always been a remarkable developer. Hardly anyone considered a Buy2Play MMO to be realistically financially feasible or even believed in a financial success. The first title of these ambitious former Blizzard employees proved the opposite from mid-2005: Guild Wars 1. By 2010, the sales figures were over 7 million copies. And even today, the first part has its loyal fans.
Even though many do not see the successor Guild Wars 2 in the tradition of the first part, the second part also has its loyal fanbase. ArenaNet can therefore afford community management with small content expansions. Money is generated by the in-game shop through costumes, colors, and other non-game-affecting offers.
Heart of Thorns – Not as successful as hoped
It is no secret that the last major expansion was probably not as successful as hoped. The next major expansion was indeed already mentioned in January 2016 at the edge of a blog post by the developers, but there has been no sign of life since. Only an alleged screenshot has been leaked, and content-wise, it seems to provide a credible scenario with the Crystal Desert. Various other small hints, such as minor changes to the world map, support these speculations. However, there is no official information.
Ultimately, the question remains whether a developer can afford the luxury of only managing existing customers nowadays and reducing communication about possible future content to a minimum. The community is divided, many wish for more information about a content expansion, also to keep the existing players in the game.
But there are also warning voices that recall too optimistic promises from ArenaNet before Heart of Thorns. It will probably be impossible to please everyone, as always.
In my opinion, ArenaNet should find a middle ground, both in communication and in content marketing. A little hype train would certainly not hurt the somewhat dusty game at the moment, especially since Heart of Thorns has been on the servers since the end of October 2015. And even though I always enjoy the almost familial “Guild Chat” of the developers on Twitch, a bit more future prospects would be appreciated.
Especially since it will take a long time after an expansion announcement until we see this content on the server.
What keeps you hooked in your favorite game? Is it rather small, but many free expansions, or do you prefer large, paid expansions?
This article is from our reader Erzkanzler.
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