Guild Wars 2: End Of Dragons expansion delayed until 2022
While the aging MMO preps for a long future
Back when it first launched, Guild Wars 2 was exciting to everyone I knew. If you liked World Of Warcraft, it seemed like a game that intelligently built on some similar ideas; and if you didn't, it seemed like WoW but good.
Several years later, FFXIV seems to have earned that title in the MMO space, but Guild Wars 2 isn't done. While announcing the next expansion End Of Dragons had slipped into next year, ArenaNet also announced several new hires and changes designed to prepare the aged MMO for a long term future.
All the news was shared in a lengthy blog post on the Guild Wars 2 site. First, the delay to End Of Dragons into early next year, which was pinned on "the real-world challenges of the past year and a half have changed the way we live and work". Folks will still get their first proper look at the expansion later this month, in a July 27th livestream.
Next up, there was a bunch of staff changes. Colin Johanson, former GW2 game director, has re-joined to co-lead ArenaNet, and Josh “Grouch” Davis has re-joined as Head Of Live Operations. The latter role is new, so that the game director no longer needs to split their focus between the live game and the coming expansion.
The post also includes info on the new alliances matchmaking system, and plans to add DX11 support to Guild Wars 2. The latter should pave the way for performance improvements in the future, and will enter beta later this year. "We’re investing in our infrastructure, engine, and graphics because we’re looking to the future. This is a long-term effort," ends the post.
I'm happy to see Guild Wars 2 taking these steps. It's been a rough few years at ArenaNet, with numerous layoffs and high profile departures, but Guild Wars 2 remains a good game, and there's no other MMO quite like it. Long may it live on.