A Letter to Our Fans [from Mike O'Brien]

It seems like many people are disappointed that they will have to wait for gw2 because they are such big fanboys and have probably put like 4000 hours on 2+ accounts... I would honestly rather wait for the game to be well developed than to rush it out early. I would think that a lot of the non-forum community would think the same way.

Claiming your going to set the record straight and then telling people the same things they've been hearing for the past two years (meaning nothing) is only going to cast further doubt on the project.

I'm thankfull for the info. At least I know GW2 is still in the works. I'll have plenty to do untill then, and it's not like this was the one thing I've been waiting for. It's a game I'd really like to play, preferably with my guild, but there's plenty other stuff to keep me busy.

For now, I'm looking forward to the next big update (HoM + storage), and I'll be working on my GWAMM occasionally.

(I'm reminded of those oldschool games of yore, that got sequels, and you were considered to be "old" if you actually played the original game :P, can't come up with any RPG titles right now, but there's plenty of them. for example Prince of Persia 1... Super Mario Brothers 1...)

If you can't wait for GW2 its tough. QQ me a river.

I've been waiting for Duke Nukem 4 ever since 1996.... ok I think it's safe to say it isn't coming any more.

I'll be happy if GW2 is released by 2015 as long as they keep GW1 servers live until then.

"Pleased with the development of GW2".

Some screenshots, concept artwork, hell even some more lore wouldn't go amiss to strengthen your claims of actually doing anything.

Other than that, thanks for at least a tiny bit of clarification.

Thank you Regina and Mike.
At least we got an indication that GW2 is not being canceled.
Hopefully, that can make the vapor-ware people a little less vocal for a while.
More would have been nice, but isn't that always the case?

Good to know that Guild Wars 2 project is running strong.

GW skill system would be too unique and brilliant to be forgotten. Hopefully GW2 has less skills because every skill does not have useful role in GW1. The amount of skills just confuse newcomers.

I understand that Anet doesn't want to reveal any interface, skill or character details for now but maybe you could release more concept art or something? It is better than nothing. Something else than just words.

I've had high expectations for GW2 to be much better than GW and possibly better than World of Warcraft, due to Guild War's graphics engine making the game look good while being smooth while playing. Plus they have so much to expand on and be competative at it with other games out there. All I can say is I really really hated over the last two years to not really get any info on what the game looks like or will look like, as far as artist sketches of characters, environments, weapons or armor. And for the official GW website not to have its own forums. That site is just like my old yahoo geocities site, same stuff thats been on it for like 10 years lol..

But anyways. At least GW2 as far as we know, is in development and hopefully wont get cut. And maybe one day I can quit or limit "raiding" so I can actually log into a game and have fun. As of late, raiding for 5 hours at a time for a chance at a few pieces of gear that 12 other people can /roll on (Tier loot) isnt the best way to spend your free time if you catch my drift...

Best online role-playing game ever? Doubtful. That title belongs to game forums. Many people have stopped playing GW but are still playing GWGuru.

Speak for yourself. People complain for some info; when they get some that doesn't say what they want to hear they complain again. If you can't wait find something else to do. I just appreciate that something was explained.

Oh my.

They realized they need more time with GW2 than they expected. That they made a lot of fuss about GW2 before they DROPPED! GW1 and it is still YEARS away is a tragedy.

What are we going to discuss on Guru in 2009, 2010, 2011? Blizzard's "NextGen MMO"?


OK, Guild Wars 2 can of course still become the next revelation in terms of gameplay....



It just sucks that Guild Wars 1 is left to rot away for years. The small LIVE Team does not change anything about that. They could fill the empty spots of the map with an Utopia Campaign, but well, GW2 takes all their manpower.

I find it funny that you call the impatient people fanboys, as they usually call the patient people the same thing. (I don't think time played is a factor for whether or not you can wait.) I agree that if waiting produces a superior game, I am willing to do so.

GW1 = 5 years to come to fruition....

GW2 = Announced 2 years ago-ish ... A complete rebuild of game, so 2011 is far more realistic than the 2008 beta that was first projected. This then provides some guidance as to why we haven't (and won't) see bugger all for at least another year. The credibility of "announcements" was lost a long time ago.

And despite my impatience, I agree that waiting til the product is actually finished (and fully bug tested) is far more preferable than having a product thats rushed and weak. The farce that was Elite Skills missing from the game at each release of a campaign is proof that Anet will need a long time to even test the game at its most basic level.

*twiddles thumbs til 2011

Its not that the "info" doesn't say what some want to hear, its that the "info" is the same "non-info" we've recieved for two years. If Mr. O'Brien had said anything remotely insightful, this place would be going ape over the possibilities of what's to come. But, he didn't. He said nothing... for 4 paragraphs.

His version of setting the record straight was to tell us that GW2 exists and is being worked on. Great. Regina tells us the same thing... So why did he even bother? Kind of egotistical to think that by applying his name to something (or in this case, nothing) it carries more weight. Kind of disrespectful to Regina as well...

That should be all he has to say. When the game is ready we will get the information. I am so confused now about whether that makes me a fanboy or not.

In the Off-Topic section is a thread about Warhammer. The OP seems to like the game, but, as with most recent (last 1-1/2 yrs) on-line games, feels it has large gaps and some things that were just added with little thought. The devs are friendly and working on stuff, but they don't expect an overhaul until December. And players pay monthly to experience this.

Is that what people want for GW2? A half-baked game that will fail immediately.

I would prefer that ArenaNet takes the time to present a more polished game. While no game can withstand the exposure to the general player base without showing flaws and developing problems, minimizing that will only improve our fun.

Thanks to Regina for posting the letter.

Great letter, but is there another letter that is going to set the record straight?

To the FanBoys,

• Delayed game does not equal better game and you will learn that latter.

• Screenshots mean nothing. Games have been canceled after screenshot were posted.

• Same name does not mean same game.

Guild Wars screenshots from 2003: click me!

After those pictures, we had to wait another 2 years till the 2005 april release.

I hope it will be the same with Guild Wars 2 :P

~daraaksii

Why? It won't be a subscription game, so it's really just like any other game out there. Are you saying that people who play MMOs forgo ALL other games because they just can't afford it? I would say that players that addicted to their MMOs would not be part of ANet's target demographic...and they're probably already playing WoW exclusively anyway.

Have they ever cancelled Duke Nuken Forever?

Hell, StarCraft: Ghost actually got "postponed indefinitely", and not cancelled.

Need more clue?