Guild Wars 2

When I first heard of GW2, I was so excited that I checked for new news on the game regularly, and I say that intentionally to be vague about just how often it really was. I watched the same gamescon gameplay videos on youtube over and over. When the game finally was released after 2 years or so of this (sad I know) I loved it and had a lot of fun. It had its kinks to work out but it was brand spanking new! The game had so much potential I couldn’t wait to see it in a year or two.

Since then I have watched the game evolve while at the same time not really change at all. I watched a community go from very positive, excited and pro ArenaNet to very disappointed, unsatisfied and pretty much contemptuous towards Anet. It’s concerning and I worry now about the future of this game.

The community cries out because they notice that the game is not where it should be. They want change, they offer ideas, they voice opinions and give feedback but don’t feel like they are ever heard. This is partly because there is seldom a response from Anet on the forums but more to blame is that many things have been asked for or brought up but the changes that are seen often are things no one wanted or needed.
The developers haven’t had it easy either. The pressure of the bi-weekly updates was not something they were completely prepared for. Even worse, the content they were able to put out was often unappreciated by the community which can be very disheartening.

Some of the changes to the game have left it feeling broken to many including the targeted audience (referring to the trait system and early leveling). Some changes have been great and really added polish to the game such as the wardrobe and dye system and the new trading post UI (even if it took 2 years to fix). While their most loyal audience, those that have been there from the start, have been left waiting for something new to experience.

I am a passionate fan of GW2 and sincerely hope that the powers that be at Anet will take a few steps back and a good hard listen to the passionate community they have. I hope that they can reprioritize their content development goals and rethink the way they communicate with their community and fans.