After over a decade of expansions and Living World updates for Guild Wars 2, the long-running MMORPG fantasy series is finally getting a full, numbered sequel. In a surprising announcement during NCSoft‘s recent shareholder meeting, the publisher’s co-CEO Park Byung-moo casually let slip that ArenaNet is “currently working on Guild Wars 3.”
The revelation came buried in wider comments about the performance of NCSoft West, the subsidiary that oversees ArenaNet and the Guild Wars franchise. “ArenaNet has a meaningful IP called Guild Wars, and after Guild Wars 2, they are currently working on Guild Wars 3,” Park stated, before moving on without offering any other details (thanks to Inven and Reddit user u/Sydius).
Although the lack of fanfare for confirming such a highly anticipated MMO sequel seems odd, Park’s unambiguous statement lays to rest years of rumors and supposed leaks about Guild Wars 3‘s development. Fans have speculated about the next mainline entry since at least 2019, when a report emerged that ArenaNet was in very early stages of pre-production on a Guild Wars sequel.
As expected, the news was met with a mix of hype and apprehension from Guild Wars‘ passionate community of veteran players. After over a decade of continuous support with expansions like 2022’s End of Dragons and the recent Secrets of the Obscure in 2023, many are wondering what the future holds for Guild Wars 2 itself.
“I just hope they keep what makes GW2 stand out amid all the other MMOs. I love how the game make players cooperate in an organic fashion. Not a fan of the “game is hard, so you better party-up” that games like WoW Classic have,” wrote one worried Redditor. Others voiced fears that development on GW2‘s ongoing live service could slowly wind down as ArenaNet inevitably shifts resources to the newly-confirmed sequel.
However, the very existence of Guild Wars 3 can also be viewed as undeniable proof of the lasting success and profitability of the long-running IP under ArenaNet’s stewardship. Why stake the franchise’s future on a full sequel if the games-as-a-service model wasn’t consistently driving revenue? It might not always work for other games (looking at you, RuneScape), but it seems to work for Guild Wars.
Unsurprisingly, details are basically nonexistent about what Guild Wars 3 will entail or when it will be released. Following tradition, it could take the series hundreds of years into the future with a new, persistent world to explore. Or perhaps it will be even more ambitious, venturing into a different universe or plane of existence after wrapping up the core Guild Wars saga.
Evidence has also emerged that ArenaNet may be rebuilding the game in Unreal Engine 5, a technical upgrade that could finally bring top-of-the-line visuals to match the series’ masterful art direction and worldbuilding. Combined with new gameplay systems learned from GW2‘s evolution, Guild Wars 3 has a clear opportunity to once again redefine what an MMORPG can be.
For now, though, players have NCSoft’s word that the eternal alchemy does indeed continue onward. While it may be years before anyone outside ArenaNet gets to see it, hard work on Guild Wars 3 is finally happening behind closed doors.
