The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 has not revealed any plans for 2015 yet. We are looking at the perspectives for the MMO. What is the current situation, what happens in the best and worst case for GW2?
In short: Will there be more content finger food, more content morsels for few, or a juicy expansion for everyone?
The Situation
Guild Wars 2 is a Buy2Play MMO. Players who have purchased it once can play it repeatedly without having to pay for it again.
GW2 appeals to many different player groups who enjoy different aspects of the game. While initially “Explorers” were mainly interested in the game, wanting to explore every zone to the fullest and enjoy the world, there are still players in the game who enjoy large battles, smaller PvP skirmishes, endgame content, or roleplay.
All these mouths want to be fed. But ArenaNet manages to do that with GW2 more poorly than well. Although several big feature patches were released in 2014 and the Living World improved its entry, discontent among players is spreading: there is simply too little happening, not enough “new content” especially for PvE players. They wish for new zones, new dungeons, really anything, but more, more of everything.
Instead of bite-sized content morsels, players wish for tasty and filling chunks.
The Crucial Question
Guild Wars 2 is now two and a half years old. Players are crying out for an expansion, for content that lasts longer than two weeks, that stays in the game. Everything comes down to the question: Will there be a full-fledged expansion in 2015 or not? There are signs. No definitive assurances.
We present you with two scenarios. This is “NOT” the reality of what is currently happening or will happen. Rather, these are thought models of what could happen in the worst and best case.
The Worst Case
At the end of 2014, ArenaNet focused on the PvP aspect of Guild Wars 2 and continued to work on it, giving the game eSport-like structures. This has so far not been successful. This path will be consistently pursued in 2015, but it is struggling to gain traction.
Additionally, ArenaNet’s information policy has long been criticized, saying that announcements are only made when things are close to completion to avoid disappointing players. This policy will continue in 2015.
Instead of taking care of existing players and offering them something new, ArenaNet is trying to attract new player groups. However, they face strong competition, not just from other MMORPGs but also from MOBAs or single-player games.
In the worst case, ArenaNet tries to reshape Guild Wars 2 into an eSport game, using resources for that and ultimately failing. ArenaNet fails to break into the MOBA-dominated eSports market.
The Living World continues, but cannot permanently satisfy players’ hunger for content. They also feel ignored, as too little is happening and no one tells them what is being worked on.
The slight downward trend in finances continues subtly, ArenaNet fights back through the cash shop, once again succumbing to an adventurous gem venture, new MMOs are flooding the market (which, like Skyforge , take much from the once-innovative Guild Wars 2), the time window for GW2 is closing, and one hears less and less about the game.
The Best Case
In the best case, the second season of the Living World ends with an announcement that clearly states: an expansion is coming, and it will be in 2015.
The expansion is substantial, bringing a new continent, a new maximum level. There will be new zones to explore and new opponents to defeat.
Furthermore, they emphasize the “Guild” aspects of the game more strongly as promised, giving players the opportunity to conduct real Guild Wars, maintain guild houses, and weekly participate in kind of guild raids, defeating particularly strong opponents.
Also outside the game, people hear how splendidly GW2 is developing, looking forward to the expansion in the first half of 2015 and then sticking around. Particularly many returning players find their way back to Tyria.
Furthermore, ArenaNet decides to be a bit more open about its plans in the future and reveals some features they are planning, even at the risk of disappointing players.
But they show: We have plans, we are doing something.
Guild Wars 2 remains one of the most interesting and “somehow different” MMOs in 2015. It finds a clear identity as an alternative to World of Warcraft with a stronger emphasis on player skills and without the typical “grind” for the genre. In addition, it develops an identity as the MMO that focuses on communities, where the guild is at the forefront.
GW2 also sees several Quality-of-Life improvements in 2015 that other MMOs quickly adopt.
What is likely to happen
ArenaNet’s information policy is nebulous. The “big announcement” with the Living World, probably the biggest attraction in 2014, was kept under wraps for a long time. Players wondered: What are they actually doing all day? During the presentation of the Living World, the developers were visibly happy to finally tell players what they had been working on.
It is therefore not so unlikely that a long-awaited expansion is indeed coming but has simply not been mentioned. However, that is not certain either.
A GW2 expansion will likely not be as large and massive as players wish. Unlike a Pay2Play MMO, Buy2Play MMOs tend to release content expansions episodically, in smaller bites – like the Living World now.
What will likely continue in 2015 is the push towards an “eSport” MMO. This is a risky yet interesting plan, which, however, only really interests a relatively small portion of the existing player base. The focus seems more on attracting new player groups.
The danger with GW2 is clearly that it started as an “MMO for various player groups and interests” but now cannot cater to all. This is unfortunately a present problem in 2015. Especially for the core players who enjoy PvE, jumping puzzles, world exploration, background story, and aesthetics of Guild Wars 2, they will need to deliver in 2015.
They currently feel neglected.
This article is part of our series where we take a look at MMOs as we approach the turn of the year, playing through scenarios and speculating about the future.
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