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

Guild Wars 2 has verified nothing brief of a revelation in the hugely-multiplayer online (MMO) game sector, luring scores of newcomers to the genre with its obtainable take on the topic 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 - but 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 shops for players in 2013 & beyond.

Like most MMOs, Guild Wars 2 was addled by server difficulties at launch. Is this something you were completely able for?

"In case you look at the MMO launches of the last five or six years, I think that we have had one of the smoothest by far. We definitely were prepared for the fact that we would have difficulties, for the reason that you could never replicate what can take place when millions of people hit your servers at once. As much as you attempt to recreate that in beta, it is never quite the same.

"We had a considerable amount of those that slept up ready for launch so they were able to work very, extremely long hours when we were up & running to ensure that stuff got fixed as speedily as probable. Looking back on it, we had several issues like any individual else who has ever released an MMO, although we addressed them really well, & I was genuinely proud of the team for how speedily 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 finest word I can give to describe where we are at right now. We're blown away by the fan response and genuinely excited about it. We are told that it is the 1st MMO to get to 3 million copies sold so speedily, so that's genuinely thrilling for us. I think that speaks volumes about where the Guild Wars 2 gold 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're not content to just say, 'We've sold a whole lot of copies, we have done our job'. Instead, we're honestly busting our butts to make the game better & better every month."

How did launch sales compare to those of the original Guild Wars?
"I don't have the exact numbers so I couldn't say for confident, but I would guess that it's quite possibly sold at least three-to-4 times faster than the 1st Guild Wars. As I do not have the figures I can't be certain, yet I can most certainly say it sold a heck of a lot faster than the original, & we are thrilled to see the second game do this much better."

Roughly what percentage of your fanbase are newcomers to the series?
"I can honestly say that we have noticed a ton of new fans. We've observed a considerable amount of those who are just fans of role-playing games and this is the 1st MMO they have played. I think that that's genuinely compelling. I think we have developed a world that people that love RPGs can readily enter into & it takes place to have other players in it who can help them along the way & make it more exciting.

"Plenty of the elements that make MMOs not appealing to fans have been removed from Guild Wars 2. You are never running around in the world and an additional player can run up and kill you or something. We've removed all of those variables, so other players only assist you and make the Guild Wars 2 gold game more fun. That is made the game a lot more compelling & easy for people that love role-playing experiences to enter into."

What has been the biggest 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, & that means we're going from a production company to a service company, & you operate exceptionally differently when you are providing a service.

"Players are constantly demanding new content and new experiences, and everyone desires to see the game grow and blossom to something evening larger than what it began as. We've plenty of pressure to live up to. There is definitely a sense of having to make the game better every month and adding new content to it, and genuinely growing the world.

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

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