The fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 is intensifying its efforts to move towards eSports. In early December, a PvP patch is set to change matchmaking and penalize “bad behavior.” Additionally, an international tournament worth $50,000 is planned.
We have reported on this before: Much indicates that ArenaNet wants to steer its fantasy MMO Guild Wars 2 towards eSports – and quite vigorously. This path will continue in December. A major patch aimed at matchmaking has now been announced for December 2. The goal is to further improve and refine PvP.
Here, it seems they are looking to League of Legends: With better matchmaking, teams that play at a similar level should compete against each other. The idea is likely to implement a kind of ranking, a “ladder,” which players can ascend or descend. Furthermore, ArenaNet plans to penalize behavior such as “I will just leave in the middle of the match, they all annoy me.” More details are expected to be revealed in the next two weeks.
On December 4, another major tournament, a kind of world championship, will be held. The prize pool will amount to $50,000. The four best teams in the world will compete against each other: two from China, one from the USA, and one from Europe. Again, they will attempt to promote it via Twitch.
Mein MMO says: So far, the attempts in this direction have been rather unsuccessful. MMOs have a hard time with this. But evidently, ArenaNet is determined to become the eSports MMO. With the flat item progression, there is a foundation. Whether the games can be well followed and captivate the fans is another question. Certainly, there is an interest in the Asian market behind this decision. eSports is likely much more popular in Asia than in the West, but… in any case, it will be content that not too many players will benefit from.
The current changes, as far as known, seem primarily aimed at enhancing the experience for participating players, making it better and fairer. Equally important would be to make it more attractive for viewers and fans of the teams.
Twitch – the promised land?
The streaming service Twitch is currently considered a kind of paradise by nearly all “major publishers.” Once you’re in, you’ve made it. Everyone wants to engage “top streamers” for their games, who then bring their fanbase and provide a lot of free PR, so you don’t have to spend on expensive advertising campaigns: Why spend on a 30-second spot in prime time if a streamer can play the game for four hours straight in front of an interested 30,000 fans, their community? Especially eSports and events would guarantee a slot here – but many want that.
We will see who succeeds with this strategy. ArenaNet currently seems to play more of an outsider role in the race for Twitch viewers.
