Prediction: When will Anet release GW2 information?

Given that 3-5 years is the typical producuction time for a serious MMO (and assuming that GW2 has been in development since the release of EotN, which is *less* than 1 1/2 years) I don't expect any screenshots, video footage, or whatsoever - yet.
Hell, when I first heard about SWG in 2000 it took years until I saw first screenshots. And I don't expect any screenshots of that WH40K MMO anytime soon either.

GW2 *had* to be announced, so people would buy EotN and remain in standby-mode without rioting while no updates or further expansions are going on.
But you have to keep in mind that when announced, GW2 was still a CONCEPT. It existed in the devs' heads. A pipe dream. A vision.
Nothing more. It truly didn't exist at all when announced (about 17 months ago). Not a secret at all.

I don't expect screenshots or video footage before 2010.
I don't expect a Beta before 2011.
I don't expect GW2 to be released before 2012. Even 2013 sounds realistic to me, which would make for a game that has been in development for a bit more than 5 years.
Totally normal in the MMO market. Especially if you consider that A.Net has been founded by some Blizzard-guys. People who are known to take the time needed to finish a polished product.
(GW1 was actually an extremely well thought-out, finished, and polished product, Alpha/Beta tested for over 2 years when released in 2005.)


That said, that doesn't mean I would rule out the *possibility* of GW2 being vaporware which will never actually happen.
Just like an agnostic I don't really believe that, but I consider it to be possible.

Still, I reckon most of those people crying out VAPORWARE to be trolling for the sake of provoking A.Net and irritating the community for the sake of getting ANY new info bits on GW2.

Talking of tight lips, Daniel Dociu resists the interview pressure (I only show quotes below) to reveal anything about GW2 (which seems to indicate that work is progressing :P )

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=16495
Also interesting to see that Daniel's son is at Anet too .

I'm not sure how you can adamantly believe that, assuming you're aware of the development history of DNF. Because of the sheer number of false starts they've already had, the game is as good as having only been in development for 4-5 years at most.

Now GW2 could have switched engines without ArenaNet saying anything as well, but without any evidence for such an occurrence (the delay doesn't count; it's not long enough yet) it's hard to believe something like that happened.

On a more general topic, people's idea of "evidence" does tend to vary a little bit, but there is at least something indicating GW2 is in progress. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that it doesn't exist in any form, at least any more. Then we have to deal with the following:

• Several people, including Regina and reportedly someone from NCSoft, were actually lying or severely mistaken (severely enough that they'd have to be on some pretty interesting drugs) when they said they'd seen GW2
• ArenaNet has been employing 100+ people, including a pretty decent-sized art department, who have been doing nothing for the past two years, are cleverly covering it up, and either NCSoft somehow isn't aware of the fact or they don't care that they're spending presumably considerable sums of money for this
• Of those people employed by ArenaNet, few enough still work on Guild Wars that it may arguably be hurting the game, maybe even losing a few sales, and this fact apparently doesn't worry them enough to do something about it, like maybe create a new expansion (with the people who would, remember, otherwise be doing nothing)
• There is either some kind of business reason for the above, or ArenaNet/NCSoft, unlike pretty much every other business out there, are not actually trying to make money

Starts to get a little far-fetched to me...

I'm not going to say that GW2 is vaporware, and I truly believe that most people don't believe that either.

However, you have to acknowledge anet's eerie silence on this topic and the game for almost two years, and this is why:

1) Anet is not under any pressure from NCSoft to keep quiet on GW2 so it does not affect Aion's release. While this could still be a conscious move by Anet, it is exactly that; it is their choice to remain silent.

(See this statement by Regina: http://www.killtenrats.com/2008/12/2...mbs-follow-up/)

2) Basic questions have not been answered such as a level cap, see the other thread here in riverside for that.

3) You can cite protection of their game for the reasons of not releasing info, but frankly I believe many ppl would just be happy for CONCEPT ART, which is done before anything...usually indicating some work is being done to make the concept a reality. There is no concept art for gw2, if you claim that there is, its EOTN.

4) Unless you get to look at Anet's billing records and hours logs, you have no idea what's going on in their staff, what the size of it is, and what they're doing if anything.

5) Inconsistencies in interviews. Some people from anet/ncsoft that have been interviewed either avoid GW2 discussion altogether (most of them), say it looks very good/well in development, or say it's still in its infancy, alluding to "future" products.

The only reason a vaporware argument is becoming popular is because anet has not said anything definitive or specific about gw since it was announced. Yes they've given interviews, yes they have a Q&A list on the site, but tell me if any of those really say anything about the game itself? No, they don't and people are wising up to it. Gw is old for many ppl who have been playing since the beginning. I can't help but notice that those who say "gw2 is comming, be patient" tend to have started playing much later than those who have a more pessimistic view (not saying this is always the case).

My very first and strongest thought is that Guild Wars 2 will be released when it will be ready, viable, complete, and not the usual "put a mess on the market and we will patch upon it while the players who trusted us before will go on playing it". So, surprise me in an awesome way Anet !!!!

My second thought comes in the form of a dilemma, so, will they be able to come up with a second golden egg like Guild Wars or are they pushing that goose too much (vaporware).

As for my last thought I will write it down as a request to the community members that are located/live close to Anet's Office's/Studios or whatever, so, please people do some low tech trash research. I bet you will find more than you can expect (icky stuff) in their offices's trash

If they had anything to show, they would.

More screenshots = more news about the game.

More news = more potential customers.

By keeping it quiet for over a year they are shooting themselves in the feet.

Even then DNF is more advanced than GW2. Sure, they have "changed the engine" several times. But at least they had SOME screenshots. Some informations about the game.

What is the difference between DNF and GW developers? DNF people had other titles, cash from them and experience.

GW had a good idea, but after GW:P it was downhill from there. While many people have their hopes up because of GW2, it's less and less likely that A.Net will wow us with some kind of surprise teaser.

No, they wouldn't show screenshots or release a ton of data, when they game isn't being released until the end of 2009, that would be completely stupid. Why tip your hand to competitors, and divulge things about your game, just to keep a few rabid fanboys from QQing on forums. Best to be silent and surprise everyone with something that is great when it makes its first impression.

re: person talking about dumpster diving. Yuck, although funnily enough ArenaNet is actually walking distance from my house.

SS or it never happened. There is no allusion to a release date for GW2, in fact those outside of anet have nothing but their word that it is even in production.

Being silent is not the best option if they want publicity, which they will need because of that same stiff competition. While they should not want to overhype gw2, they should want to create a fair amount at the right time. An earlier poster mentioned (if I remember correctly) about a year before release is about when a company should start releasing bits of info about their game and keep the flow somewhat constant.

If everything comes out right before gw2 release, whenever it may be, people will have already hooked onto D3, SC2, and possibly other games. Gamers like to know what's headed their way, and often initial sales are built upon anticipation for a game. That community that is anticipating gw2 despite a total lack of reason to, is very small.

I'd buy that. Perhaps it's just my severe case of optimism, but this sounds sort of realistic to me. I am a tad skeptical though that they'll have it ready for release by April 2010. It'd definitely be awesome to release it on GW1's fifth birthday, but I'll be surprised if they make that date, what with the world.com lawsuit getting in the way. April 2011 is much more realistic, given your average MMO's 3-5 year development time.

But still, I'm betting (which really means hoping) that they'll have at least SOMETHING to say in April of this year, whether it's "hey, look at these screenshots," or "you all got Punk'd, there's no GW2 (cue character model of Ashton dancing in every town and outpost)," they'll probably throw us a bone.

They Already Have:

-Will Have No Instances Just like GW
-Set to be runned on Mid-Range Machines
-Bigger Improvement Of Visuals ( It has been claimed by Anet that the visuals will look beautiful )
-No Monthly Fees ( As Expected )
-New Playable Races
-Much More greater content ( From Skills, and Regions to explore, to massive amount of different armors, weapons etc. )
-New Content Added to the game Regularly

And The Most Important one.... A KICK ASS GAME!

What GW2? GW2 doesn't exist?
You were just having a dream..

I thought that Regina made their strategy quite clear in that other ridiculous "oh noes GW2 is vaporware" thread. They're not going to release anything until they can do it for a big splash that's going to generate maximum hype. I'd guess the very first info we're going to hear about GW2 is going to sound something like: "Here's a beta, and here's some of the stuff in it."

NEVAH
12chars

I need sources or else what you said isn't true!

If you people actually look at what they've revealed so far, and their musings on the title, particularly in PC Gamer Magazine, you'd realize that what they're aiming for is too ambitious for a 1 1/2 to 2 year development. And really... how often are games done ahead of schedule?

What I expect, is the big splash to occur mid to late '09, alongside the alpha.

Beta in mid/late '10.

And the game itself in mid/late '11.

Originally, I expected a year sooner, but we all know how that turned out.

As nice as the idea is to withhold all their information for a big announcement later that will bring in millions of players, it won't happen.

They've waited so long since the release that a lot of players don't care any more. If they don't release something substantial soon, they'll end up with a failure of a game.

Fixed a looooot.

Anet will release the info when Season 2 of Suzumiya Haruhi starts to air.

Because then Anet staff will have something to fap to, which will in turn make them happier and want to tell us more.

When will Anet release GW2 info?
When they're ready.

When will the game come out?
When it's ready and when the time is right.

Blizzard's Wrath of the lich king was nicely planned to 'compete' with warhammer online and to finish off the other mmo flops we saw in 2008 (AoC, Hellgate Londen, Tabula Rasa, Pirates.)

Aion is coming up this year. I don't think we will see anything about gw2 before and during that launch. The graphics style looks somewhat like gw.

GW2 will sell. They don't have to lure players in the meantime. GW has build up a reputation in the gaming world.

Because TR sucked and wasn't even ready for a beta stage, let alone a final release. And the monthly fees contributed for it's downfall or you think that forcing people to pay for a bad game would do something good for it? Horray for logic!

And a name means nothing btw. You can have the shitiest game with Gabe Newell's name stamped on the front cover, it still wouldn't sell for anything. People want a good, fun game, not something used to wipe a famous person's ass.

Happy trolling.

My prediction:
GW2 public beta: Q4 2009/Q1 2010
GW2 release: Q1/Q2 2011

GW is well known in other mmo communities. I did some research last week. GW and Anet are well known in the gaming world.

GW2 will hit big sale numbers imo , because it has no monthly fees and will be interesting to lots of people, especially during the economy crisis. Analists predict the crisis will last for about 2-3 years.

The pay to play MMO market has no place for average newcomers, especially with Blizzard running the show with WoW.

And then you have this free mmo game GW2, which will dominate that part of the market just like gw1 did.

Here's a short video about it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2b1D...eature=related

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seriously, i think a mid april is the time for some news

As shitty as Grind Wars is now, it was a new idea, and will always be known for that. The graphics are amazing for such crappy specs, the content is wide, and if you havent been playing for 7000 hours+ its a fun game. Many people know and will remember Guild Wars as an "Almost" revolutionary Game. So please gtfo.

How the hell does that have anything to do with what I said? The fact is TR never was that good to start with and on the rush the get the game out and make money as quick as possible, they released a half-finished game not even suited for an open beta. That's what the very people working on the game said in numerous interviews.

Now would you pay for that? IF TR would have taken a GWish aproach - aka no monthly fees - things could have been diferent, TR simply wasn't good enough to ask for a 15$ tuition. And-people-won't-pay-for-a-bad-game, let alone monthly. Yes, even if they merged servers and reduced mantaining costs. All the cost cutting in the world won't help if people aren't paying the huge amounts of cash the company asks for a sucky game, especially when there are much better alternatives, let's say, wow?[/QUOTE]

My guess is Anet will give some info about GW2 in April 2009 along with the new mass storage and account-based HoM update.

This. April is where I place my bets.

this has probably been said before, but i was thinking the other day about how all of us on guru are cryin' over no GW2 info, but really our numbers aren't even a drop in the bucket to the amount of potential new customers ANET would get with GW2...maybe they just want to really make a big impression on the WHOLE gaming community, and not just people who play MMO's...

w/e...vaporware is vaporware. my prediction would be december 21st, 2012 LOL

Sometime this year we are going to have another event similar to the first ANET/PC Gamer magazine announcement. This one will feature a Sylvari mini. I hope they have some story bridge content additions to GW1 inbetween that announcement and beta. Lottery/Contest for Beta slots???

Side note: Funny that PCGamer is the only computer only mag left, close to the end, Games For Windows had its nose so far up blizzards rear it made me ill, trying to boost sales on Blizzards coattails. Shame though CGW/GFW really was my favorite mag. Anyone else notice right after PCGamer got the GW2 exclusive GFW went negative on GW in general. Hope PCgamer does not meet the same fate as GFW hate to lose my bathroom reading material really do not want to drag my laptop in there to read some game website.

But you should notice, Guild Wars was a good idea. Very good. Free (after buying) quasi-MMO with 8 skills at a time, tactical gameplay (well... 8 skills can be considered tactical), focus on PvP without alienating PvE people and so on.

But every next campaign drifted away from the great idea. Factions was mediocre, Nightfall only good.

Then came EotN and ruined everything. Turned my Prophecies box into a liar.

Graphics are amazing, that I agree. But that's not really a hard thing to optimise a game for a small zone. GW is build around zones, one might be bigger, one smaller, but there is quite a difference between making graphics for a game with zones and making graphics for open-world games.


Thanks to whoever cleaned up the thread. Can we now go back to the discussion?

Kupp - I hope you remember what I wrote before clean up, as I don't feel like writing again.

Do you mean players who post on forums or all players? I believe that those who are playing and don't ever check Guru or any other forum could care less about what we discuss here. They will play GW until they get tired of it and move on to the next good game, GW2 or whatever other game is out there.

A few things I'd like to reply to/about from my perspectives:

A development team, whether it's gaming, or other products, have the tendancy not to answer such specifics until they're set in stone. This is a responsible approach and often why, just give an example, P2P games will wait until Open Beta stages (most often) to announce the subscription prices.

If Anet were to disclose details such as level caps before it's finalized as to what they will be, in the event they decide to change it, it becomes an addition to the list of "lies" people like to write down about the company.


True, but what good does concept art do? I think we all know the cynics response to GW2 concept art would be, "So what? We had what appeared to be Utopia concept art. Where's Utopia today??"

It would be a huge blow to Anet and a huge blow to us players to get material about GW2 to calm a storm, but have that material fail to meet those first impression expectations because, through development, ideas and concepts had to be axed, or altered beyond original recognition.

I'm sure many desire immediate satisfaction at the risk of missed expectations. However, it appears the developers are not willing to show us proof of concept until that concept can be delivered accurately. I like that style because it says to me, "We're not going to B.S. you guys so you'll like us and be our friends". I don't need a Developer to be a friend. I need a developer to develop something of high quality for once in a recent world of disaster games.

Tell that to FunCom.

The reality is Anet could, if they chose, show us everything they have right now, but unless they take their time to actually develop a great game (which does take a lot of time) all those screenshots, news, interviews, and eye candy won't mean anything. Age of Conan sure did great with its potential customers. Even had so many on these boards! Except there is a huge difference between potential and actual.

The gamers perspective isn't as long term as a developers perspective. As gamers, we have dozens of options as to what we play with little cost to us. For years we've been buying cartridges, CD's and DvD's - playing them and tossing them as though it were sport. As a developer working on a title, it's a one shot deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake. No mulligans, no second chances on the title. There is no real midde ground for an online game. It either succeeds and sustains itself, or it fails and closes. Gamers have the luxury of moving onto something else. The developer has to swallow the losses. If I were a developer, after seeing TR go under, Hellgate go under, AoC following the same road, and WAR starting to suffocate; Yes, I would darn well take my sweet time to make my game unless I want my company on that failure list.

Guild Wars has proven itself that it's a franchise that succeeded. No, it didn't turn into a grand dragon, but its life has long outlived other games and did so with a business model in which critics of the industry, at that time, said it could not work; That subscriptions were the only way to sustain an online game.

That bold part is the key. Timing is everything in marketing and in Anets case right now could very well be not the right time.

Release information too early and you've immediately set the bar of expectations. There's a saying we all learn in business 101, "Don't meet your customers expectations - Exceed them". If you can't meet the expectations set because of a premature release of information, then you erase all chances of exceeding them. Release the information when you know you can meet those expectations, then you have the ability to exceed them.

Many have been pounding on titles like Hellgate, AoC, WAR, and TR. Rightfully so. They set the bar so high because of their early publicity that when the basic expectations didn't get met, they tanked. I haven't met many who would disagree that if the above titles had stayed in beta (open, or closed), for an additional 6 to 8 months, they would be better off today.

Name recognition doesn't mean squat. What did Anet have before Guild Wars? Nothing. What will make you, or break you, is quality of the product. Guild Wars has made it this far because its quality is exceptional as a product.

Blizzard, love them or hate them, WoW included, makes high quality products.

If you make a game that sucks, people aren't going to pay the money to play it. Ultima was a great success in the early MMO days behind R.G's name. It was well done, despite the early age of the genre and the now obvious flaws it had. In todays market, the quality bar is set very high. You could put Blizzard's name behind TR and if nothing was fixed, or changed, it would still close.

Lol, sure.
Release a game when the world will end, how smart. *sarcasm*
I'm gonna totally agree with your predictions. >.>

thats just the -announced- release date
i.e. if it doesnt come out...dun blame anet for not having it done on time...
they finished it, they jus couldnt release it cuz the world ended *wink* *wink*

I'm voting Vaporware so far.

My Hopes
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SC:Ghost had pics, and it didn't happen.

GW2 doesn't even have pics.

There are higher chances of my IQ being over 150 than ANet saying that GW2 will come out in 2009.

why can't anyone make some hilarious youtube videos or images claming that GW2 will be out soon... like next week!! lol *end sarcasm*

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm0mWUh49g4

Seen it done before - the company in question claimed it was coincidence, but it was an announcement that they knew would annoy some people that was made on April 1st.

I think you've just given everyone the explanation. GW2 won't hit the three-year mark - the time in its development when you say D3 was announced - until sometime this year at the earliest. The only difference is that ANet was forced to announce they were developing GW2 a lot earlier in its development.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: If ANet hadn't had to explain why the chapter model was being dropped, we probably still wouldn't know GW2 was even on the table.

I don't remember seeing one of these in EOTN. Most of the concept art released with the announcement was for EOTN or at least applicable to both, but there are some exceptions.

This is again something that I think I've said before, but one thing that amuses me in watching the Starcraft 2 buzz is that whenever the Blizzard fanboys want to rag on WoW's competition, it's pretty much always GW they use.

It may not be intended as such, but that is a complement - it shows a general acknowledgment that ANet is one of Blizzard's stronger competitors in the MMO community.