Originally released in 2012, Guild Wars 2 was a sequel to the original Guild Wars MMO from 2005. Nearly 12 years later, Guild Wars 2 is still receiving regular updates, with the Secrets of the Obscure expansion well underway, and at least two more DLCs planned over the next two years.
However, according to a recent shareholder meeting of ArenaNet’s parent company, NCSoft, Guild Wars 3 is already in development. As reported by Korean news outlet Inven, acting chairman Park Byeong-moo spoke on behalf of NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin, wherein he briefly addressed the performance of NC West. While speaking on the subject, he said, “ArenaNet has a meaningful IP called ‘Guild Wars,’ and after Guild Wars 2, they are currently working on ‘Guild Wars 3.’” While he gave no further information, his words all but serve as an official announcement for the sequel.
Rumors of a sequel to Guild Wars 2 have been floating around the internet since 2019, so this is far from the first time Guild Wars 3 has become a hot topic. That said, having an acting chairman casually drop a game’s existence is far more credible than leaks and speculation. Guild Wars 2 has been receiving updates for nearly twice as long as its predecessor, so it would make sense if ArenaNet was planning on moving on soon.
“ArenaNet has a meaningful IP called ‘Guild Wars,’ and after Guild Wars 2, they are currently working on ‘Guild Wars 3.’”
It is hard to say exactly what Guild Wars 3 will look like yet, as it was not mentioned again in the meeting. Guild Wars 2 takes place 250 years after the events of the first one, so its sequel could include a similar timeskip. Evidence that some Guild Wars 2 assets were being ported to the Unreal Engine was also discovered on a former ArenaNet developer’s LinkedIn by Twitch streamer Delta, which could be involved with the sequel.
Some evidence has surfaced regarding Guild Wars 2 being ported to Unreal Engine.
— Delta (@DeltaGW2) February 8, 2024
One of the devs who works on GW2 has put it in their LinkedIn that among their duties for the past 4 years was porting assets to UE5. pic.twitter.com/Z0hdI2Exk2
However, some fans have concerns about the potential of a sequel to Guild Wars 2. The active playerbase of the MMO fears shifting focus towards a sequel may cause development on Guild Wars 2 to suffer. When Guild Wars 2 was first announced, Guild Wars 1 implemented the Hall of Monuments; a rewards system where fans could earn things in GW2 based on their progress in the prequel. If it implements a similar system in Guild Wars 2 for its purported sequel, it may be just what these players need to turn their fear into excitement.
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Source: https://gamerant.com/guild-wars-3-development-ncsoft-announcement/
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