Discussion Thread: ArenaNet News of 21 February 2019 [Merged]

Leo G.4501 · February 26, 2019

@ScottBroChill.3254 said:
@AlexxxDelta.1806 said:
@ScottBroChill.3254 said:
@AlexxxDelta.1806 said:
@ScottBroChill.3254 said:Maybe NCsoft is trying to save the game? Most of their newer games died off and maybe they saw guild wars 2 was heading downhill or on a similar path to those other games, especially if Anet was mismanaging seeing as they weren't focusing enough on this game and instead on other projects that never saw the light of day. Maybe the decision to skip the expansion was enough for NCsoft to stop it because investors will see a lack of sales hike at the usual time and it won't necessarily look good if its just small price hikes from living story episodes and gemshop sales, which those gemstore sales will eventually decline because of the lack of substantial content. The living story is neat and all, but they all have to be made individually, they divide the playerbase, become obsolete fast, and they lose the ability to make grand big content that all works together like the expansions do.
We can't really say whether this is a bad or good thing yet. But I honestly wouldn't be opposed to the game going in a different direction if it doesn't mean a new microtransaction and p2w scheme.

I seriously doubt that NCsoft's way of "saving" the game will be of any benefit to the average GW2 player. Having experience with other NCsoft titles it is likely they will double down on short term profits while the game is on its last legs, meaning more microtransactions, lootboxes, tampering with in game economy/gem exchange etc. Anyone looking could see increased signs of this even before the layoffs, with Anet focusing more on gem store monetization than ever before over the past year. The pressure on them by the parent company for increased profits is pretty clear.

I mean before this merger wasn't Anet responsible for the focusing more on gem store monetization? I mean you gotta take what JP says with a grain of salt but if you were to believe its true, Anet bumped up gemstore monetization to basically decieve NCsoft and investors to avoid the knowledge of how much resources they were pumping into other projects. And secondly, GW2 is a very western mmo, it would be ridiculous for NCsoft to try and use a korean or asian market strategy for this game. Now, they could be completely stupid like they have in the past with CoH, but we can almost see a change of heart in terms of how they handle western games by how they let wildstar basically linger for a long time without making any profits holding on to hope that it would succeed. If we are judgin by what they have done with wildstar, then they will let the game run until its in the red and then some more. Furthermore, maybe they were seeing similar management trends between the failing games and the currently successful GW2 franchise.

In terms of listening to the community or at least having an open dialogue with us in terms of game direction, Anet of has been pretty silent as well as almost completely ignoring the communities wants. It wouldn't be such a problem if they discussed the game direction and what kind of substance they would bring to it, but they never did. The last big thing they announced was the WvW restructuring and we still know nothing about it.

Maybe I'm looking at it glass half full because I'm on the other half who hasn't been digging the game direction for awhile.

Of course Anet's management decisions played a part in all this but when it comes to monetization it's all about NCsoft's targets. Don't forget we are talking about the same NCsoft who reportedly considers GW2 profits underwhelming because they are not on par with their exploitative money milking machine that is their mobile games. Yes, the focus will be back on GW2 and on paper it's a good thing, but in what form now that NCSoft is fully at the helm?

I just highly doubt NCsoft truly believes the same strategies can be applied to a western mmo as they are to asian mobile game market. All mobile games are microtransaction p2w clusters of nonsense with very little actual content. If they do and you're right, then the games doomed because it just wont succeed here.

Funny thing is, this viewpoint is exactly why many proponents of classic MMOs are so confused and belligerent toward the shift in markets. Sure, some mobile games are cash-grabs and low concept, but the roots and staying factor of MMOs has always been simplistic. It's why games like GW1 or WoW or Runescape or even FFXI are still relevant despite what the louder MMO purists will tell you. The high-action, twitch combat is moving toward online fighting games and arena combat but classic MMOs are likely going to reformat to work better on improving mobile tech.

Sure, there will be still be PC MMOs for the forseeable future, but you people really need to get with the times and look at the market shifts objectively rather than as some sort of war of PC vs mobile or some such.

Basically, I'm saying whether the mobile market will advance to encapsulate those classic MMOs doesn't automatically mean they will be Candy-crush baby games or cheap lootbox peddling copy-ware. MMORPGs have been in a cruddy place for almost a decade and the financial blackhole they have become is why shifts must happen.

TwiceDead.1963 · February 26, 2019

Stop acting like the world is going to end for starters. Threads like this certainly don't help. People are blowing the layoffs way out of proportion based purely on speculation and fear-mongering. Nobody actually knows what's going on with Anet yet have somehow decided to pull the worst outcome as gospel out of their ass.

Gehenna.3625 · February 26, 2019

Not making threads like this would help.

AlexxxDelta.1806 · February 26, 2019

@Leo G.4501 said:
@ScottBroChill.3254 said:
@AlexxxDelta.1806 said:
@ScottBroChill.3254 said:
@AlexxxDelta.1806 said:
@ScottBroChill.3254 said:Maybe NCsoft is trying to save the game? Most of their newer games died off and maybe they saw guild wars 2 was heading downhill or on a similar path to those other games, especially if Anet was mismanaging seeing as they weren't focusing enough on this game and instead on other projects that never saw the light of day. Maybe the decision to skip the expansion was enough for NCsoft to stop it because investors will see a lack of sales hike at the usual time and it won't necessarily look good if its just small price hikes from living story episodes and gemshop sales, which those gemstore sales will eventually decline because of the lack of substantial content. The living story is neat and all, but they all have to be made individually, they divide the playerbase, become obsolete fast, and they lose the ability to make grand big content that all works together like the expansions do.
We can't really say whether this is a bad or good thing yet. But I honestly wouldn't be opposed to the game going in a different direction if it doesn't mean a new microtransaction and p2w scheme.