'Guild Wars 2' interview: ArenaNet on the future of Tyria

Guild Wars 2 has proven nothing brief of a revelation in the vastly-multiplayer online (MMO) game sector, appealing to scores of newcomers to the genre with its obtainable take on the subject matter.

6 months down the line, the title has sold more than 3 million copies - making it the 1st game of its kind to reach the milestone in this space of time - however developer ArenaNet is refusing to rest of its laurels.

Digital Spy caught up with lead developer Colin Johanson to find out what the world of Tyria has in stores for players in 2013 and beyond.

Like most MMOs, Guild Wars 2 gold was addled by server problems at launch. Is this something you were completely geared up for?

"In case you consider the MMO launches of the last 5 or six years, I think that we've had one of the smoothest by far. We certainly were able for the truth that we would have difficulties, due to the fact you could never reproduce what can occur when millions of people hit your servers at once. As much as you try to replicate that in beta, it is never quite the same.

"We had a considerable amount of people who slept up ready for launch so they were able to work especially, rather lengthy hours when we were up and running to be certain that stuff got remedied as rapidly as possible. Looking back on it, we had quite a few troubles like anybody else who has ever released an MMO, although we addressed them really well, and I was really proud of the team for how quickly they managed to fix stuff."

The game went on to be a phenomenal success from there, with more than 3 million copies sold. How does this figure compare to what you forecast?
"It is well above what we forecasted. I think 'humbled' is the greatest word I can give to describe where we are at right now. We are blown away by the fan response & genuinely excited about it. We're told that it is the very first MMO to get to 3 million copies sold so speedily, so that is honestly exciting for us. I think that speaks volumes about where the game is at & where we can take it in the future.

"We're just honestly excited to be at that point, however will keep building from here. We are not content to just say, 'We've sold a considerable amount of copies, we have done our job'. Instead, we're really busting our butts to make the GW2 gold game better & better every month."

How did launch sales compare to those of the original Guild Wars?
"I don't have the precise numbers so I couldn't say for sure, although I would guess that it's probably sold at least three-to-four occasions faster than the very first Guild Wars. As I do not have the figures I can not be certain, in spite of this I can most certainly say it sold a heck of a lot quicker than the original, and we're thrilled to see the second game do this much better."

Roughly what percentage of your fanbase are newcomers to the series?
"I can absolutely say that we have noticed a ton of new fans. We've seen a lot of individuals who are just fans of role-playing games and this is the very first MMO they have played. I think that that's genuinely compelling. I think we have created a world that those that love RPGs can effortlessly enter into and it occurs to have other players in it who can help them along the way and make it more exciting.

"A large amount of the aspects that make MMOs not appealing to fans have been removed from Guild Wars 2. You're never running around in the world and one more player can run up and kill you or something. We've removed all of those aspects, so other players only assist you & make the game more fun. That is made the game a lot more compelling and easy for people that love role-playing experiences to pursue."

What has been the largest challenge since the game has gone live?
"I think the biggest challenge is that we've transitioned from a company launching a game to a company supporting a game, and that implies we are going from a production company to a service company, and you operate very differently when you are providing a service.

"Players are constantly demanding new content and new experiences, and everyone wants to see the game grow & blossom to something evening bigger than what it started as. We've a lot of pressure to live up to. There's most definitely a sense of having to make the game better every month & adding new content to it, and really growing the world.

"Some of the pressure is self-imposed, but I think that's the greatest challenge - living up to the expectations of what this game might be, not just at launch, however 6 months, a year, two years later, where it feels like it's that much bigger of a world. It launched as one game, but it turned into 2 or 3 games all living in 1 world that you could experience. That's our hope down the road."

Go Here:


http://www.fllix.com.br/blog/67/guild-wars-2-update-notes-march-0-1-2013/

http://myfriendsbook.com/blog/1705/guild-wars-2-update-notes-march-0-1-2013/

http://www.articlepattern.com/article.php?id=103548

http://sushiboy.net/profiles/blogs/guild-wars-2-update-notes-march-0-1-2013

http://clickforu.com/blog/86935/guild-wars-2-update-notes-march-0-1-2013/

http://www.wedspace.com/blogs/entry/Guild-Wars-2-Update-Notes-March-0-1-2013