Guild Wars 2 is in a strange position. It launched with huge hype, received excellent reviews from all game magazines (recently from us as well), and was a huge success with the fans: No MMORPG has sold faster than GW 2.
However, recently the innovative adventure seems to have lost some momentum. Discontent has spread among fans. The English-language site eurogamer.net has now given ArenaNet the opportunity to dispel rumors and offer a glimpse into the future.
First of all, the two heads of ArenaNet made it clear in the discussion that there is nothing to any rumors, that they are not scaling back server performance or have given up on further development of the game. On the contrary, they are very satisfied with the sales figures, a decline in sales is normal when the excitement of the launch has faded, and Guild Wars 2 is still performing much better than expected. They have not skimped on personnel either, but have hired additional staff. ArenaNet expects an additional boost when the game launches in China, Korea, Russia, and Brazil.
Future larger updates, like in an expansion!
However, ArenaNet appears to intend to deviate somewhat from the previous philosophy of many small events and storylines. The designers want to draw inspiration from a narrative masterpiece like Game of Thrones and increasingly involve players in the mechanics of the world. This should no longer be limited to small events, but from modest beginnings, huge upheavals should arise. An example of such a world-changing, cataclysmic event can be found at the end of our post in a video.
Furthermore, ArenaNet plans to introduce content that players expect from an expansion, even though they want to stick with the idea of a Living World, which would be due after a year and a half: So perhaps an increase in the level cap or new ways to develop the character further, new races, regions, items, recipes, etc.
However, how exactly these new features will be introduced is still unclear. It should start relatively soon after Living World Season 1 concludes: So sometime after March 14, heading toward summer.
In any case, these expansions are planned, Guild Wars 2 is doing financially well, and the content development machine is humming. So say the creative minds behind the game.
We are looking forward to seeing how the world of Tyria will continue to evolve. Here is the promised video! It heralds the end of the first chapter in the story of Guild Wars 2 – and with quite a bang!
