The MMORPG Guild Wars 2 is currently very popular. The developers are excitedly sharing information about the player numbers and sales figures of the new expansion. But why is the game doing so well despite the strong competition?
What have the developers revealed? In a new blog post, the developers shared some details about Guild Wars 2 and the new expansion End of Dragons, which was released at the end of February. It states:
We are seeing incredible growth in our community. The number of active Guild Wars 2 players has more than tripled over the past two years. This growth is also why Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons sold better than our previous expansion Path of Fire.
That player numbers rise at the launch of a new expansion is no surprise. The last two years offered few highlights with the Icebrood Saga and struggled to keep hardcore fans engaged.
However, the fact that the new expansion is selling better than the previous one is quite rare, especially in MMORPGs. Moreover, there is currently strong competition from Lost Ark and Elden Ring. ArenaNet has indeed pulled off a coup with End of Dragons.
Guild Wars 2 brings nostalgia expansion and strengthens communication
What makes the success of End of Dragons? The latest expansion scored high even before its release with a lot of nostalgia. End of Dragons introduced the continent of Cantha, which many veterans of Guild Wars 1 will likely remember well. It was the first chapter after the official release of Guild Wars and brought a very exciting story and iconic areas.
With this, ArenaNet attracted many veterans from the first game and also players from Guild Wars 2 who had previously turned their backs on the game. Cantha has been mentioned repeatedly in the lore and has generally been very positively highlighted by the players.
Moreover, the new expansion is extremely well done and has received a lot of positive feedback:
- Many consider the story to be the best that GW2 has ever had
- The areas are beautiful and very well-crafted
- The world event on the last map is challenging and has also made headlines outside the GW2 community
It is also noticeable that ArenaNet has executed the marketing theme somewhat better than with Path of Fire. There were several press events, sponsored articles, and videos on YouTube, as well as more general advertising ahead of time. This has increased popularity.
New communication creates a positive atmosphere: Many players also view the communication from the past 12 months positively. In early 2021, the developers began to regularly publish roadmaps to provide an overview of upcoming events and new updates:
- For the first time, the restructuring of the World vs. World mode, which was already announced in 2018, was addressed. In 2021 and 2022, the first tests took place.
- Additionally, the developers have started to overhaul the technology to support DirectX11 for the MMORPG in the future.
There is also already a roadmap for 2022, which announced new story content, the return of old content, and the Steam release. This roadmap also introduced the new heads behind the game: Amy Liu as Executive Producer and Josh “Grouch” Davis as Game Director.
The future looks bright, a 4th expansion is planned
What’s next for Guild Wars 2? The good sales figures and the growing number of players have a positive impact on future development. The developers have already revealed early on that they are working on a fourth expansion.
This is special because ArenaNet is usually quite late in announcing new content. The Path of Fire expansion, for example, was first mentioned in May 2017, presented in detail in August, and then released just a month later in September 2017.
Furthermore, new story content and the return of old story content from the Living World Season 1 have also been announced for the way forward.
Have you also noticed the increased interest in Guild Wars 2 within your gaming circle? Or are you surprised by the news that the numbers are rising so much? Feel free to write it in the comments.
If you’re thinking about starting to play Guild Wars 2, you can find a guide with helpful tips here:
Guild Wars 2 Beginner’s Guide – Everything about the MMORPG in 2022
