Even though the massively successful MMORPG Guild Wars 2 is still actively producing new expansions, ArenaNet is said to be already working on developing a sequel to the 12-year-old game.
ArenaNet is hard at work on Guild Wars 3, according to reports at NCSoft’s recent shareholder meeting. Although Guild Wars 2 is still receiving new updates and expansions, ArenaNet seems to be working on a sequel to the long-running MMORPG.
Initially released in 2012, Guild Wars 2 was a sequel to the original 2005 Guild Wars MMO. Nearly 12 years later, it still receives regular updates. The Secrets of the Obscure expansion is well underway, with at least two more DLCs planned for the next two years.
However, according to ArenaNet’s parent company, NCSoft’s recent shareholder meeting, Guild Wars 3 is already in development.
Acting President Park Byeong-moo spoke on behalf of NCSoft CEO Kim Taek-jin, as reported by the Korean news portal Inven. In it, he briefly touched on NC West’s performance. While speaking on the subject, he said, “ArenaNet has a meaningful IP, ‘Guild Wars’, and after Guild Wars 2, they are currently working on ‘Guild Wars 3′”. Although he did not reveal any further information, his words almost served as an official announcement about the sequel.
ArenaNet is currently developing Guild Wars 3 MMORPG
Rumours of a Guild Wars 2 sequel have been circulating on the internet since 2019. So, this is far from the first time that Guild Wars 3 has become a hot topic. Still, an executive chairman casually dropping the existence of a game is far more credible than leaks and speculation.
Guild Wars 2 has been receiving updates for almost twice as long as its predecessor, so it would make sense that ArenaNet plans to move on soon.
It’s hard to say precisely what Guild Wars 3 will look like. After all, it was not mentioned again at the meeting. Guild Wars 2 takes place 250 years after the events of the first part. Thus, the sequel may contain a similar time jump. Twitch streamer Delta also found evidence on the LinkedIn page of a former ArenaNet developer that some assets from Guild Wars 2 have been ported to the Unreal Engine. This may have something to do with the sequel.
However, some fans have raised concerns about the possibility of a Guild Wars 2 sequel. Active players of the MMO fear that the move towards a sequel could cause Guild Wars 2 to shut down development. When Guild Wars 2 was first announced, Guild Wars 1 introduced the Hall of Monuments. This is a reward system where fans can earn things in GW2 based on their achievements in the prequel game. If a similar system is implemented in Guild Wars 2 for the supposed sequel, it may help these players turn their fear into excitement.
Some evidence has surfaced regarding Guild Wars 2 being ported to Unreal Engine.
One of the devs who works on GW2 has put it in their LinkedIn that among their duties for the past 4 years was porting assets to UE5. pic.twitter.com/Z0hdI2Exk2
— Delta (@DeltaGW2) February 8, 2024
