Guild Wars 2

I want NCSOFT nothing influence this game.

NCSoft is the publisher and parent company of ArenaNet. That being said, they have pretty much allowed ANet free reign over the development of their games, even going so far as to buy back their shares from Nexon in order to avoid outside influence.

This looks like one of those demonstration-cardboard-signs for me … internet version.

I’m not sure how much they influence it right now, but they’ve had a big influence on it in the past.

Divinity’s Reach was intended to have a Cantha-based area, much like Ossan is for Elona. NCSoft had issues with Cantha, though, and pretty much killed it so hard they had to quickly destroy that part of DR. When the game came out, most of that area was just a huge hole. They eventually turned it into the Queen’s Pavilion.

emma.5967:

This looks like one of those demonstration-cardboard-signs for me … internet version.

I suspect that the OP isn’t an expert in writing. And it’s a reasonable question, since NCSOFT hasn’t always done the best in guiding games they publish.

For the OP: I agree with the other poster: NCSOFT could choose to influence ANet’s decisions. So far, they have given ANet more autonomy rather than less. I believe that they choose which help desk software ANet uses, but that seems to be about it.

Here’s a bit of light reading if your interested in NCSOFT and the Cantha problem. Post there if you wish to revisit Cantha, every voice counts!

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/The-Cantha-Thread-Merged

It is naive to assume that they would in no way influence one of their own subsidaries. They might not decide on specific routes or stopping points but they will certainly set goals or at least a certain direction.
The added F2P model alongside the renewed focus on revenue from gem sales seems to be one of the signs. The overall “milking” of the players seems to have gotten worse over the years as well.

Berelious.3290:

NCSoft is the publisher and parent company of ArenaNet. That being said, they have pretty much allowed ANet free reign over the development of their games, even going so far as to buy back their shares from Nexon in order to avoid outside influence.

Afaik NCSoft let go of the publisher role for GW2. Its fully in Anets hands now. Still parent company though.

Dawdler.8521:

Berelious.3290:

NCSoft is the publisher and parent company of ArenaNet. That being said, they have pretty much allowed ANet free reign over the development of their games, even going so far as to buy back their shares from Nexon in order to avoid outside influence.

Afaik NCSoft let go of the publisher role for GW2. Its fully in Anets hands now. Still parent company though.

This. Anet have moved to self-publishing after Heart of Thorns which makes me suspect that NCSoft leaned on Anet to push HoT out the door before it was finished. So while Anet is still an owned subsidiary of NCSoft it means that Anet have more say in how, and when, they release their products.

Henry.5713:

It is naive to assume that they would in no way influence one of their own subsidaries. They might not decide on specific routes or stopping points but they will certainly set goals or at least a certain direction.
The added F2P model alongside the renewed focus on revenue from gem sales seems to be one of the signs. The overall “milking” of the players seems to have gotten worse over the years as well.

But NCSoft has owned Anet since before GW1 was released, I think Anet was an independent company for a matter of months before making that deal.

So I don’t understand how anyone here can point to specific aspects of the game, especially if they’re exclusively recent developments, and say this is a result of NCSoft’s influence and everything else is not.

If anything they’ve had less influence recently because they’ve taken a step back by allowing Anet to self-publish.

Q: Why do you think that the ‘no plans for an expansion’ stance was suddenly changed and a rushed, overpriced expansion released?

A: NCSoft

NCSoft – it would take a book to cover this.

Look at the history of City of Heroes, still the most fun I ever had in gaming, and the ruthless way NCSoft shut down an apparently healthy game to divert some resources to GW2. The idea that they don’t vet every major decision with a 1% magnifying glass for Profit strikes me as the height of naïveté.

Why do you need to know? A desire for a super villain whose entire focus is to destroy your gaming pleasure? ANET is more than capable of making mistakes without a super villain. NCsoft owns ANET pretty much always have. Not much else needs to be known.

Yargesh.4965:

Why do you need to know? A desire for a super villain whose entire focus is to destroy your gaming pleasure? ANET is more than capable of making mistakes without a super villain. NCsoft owns ANET pretty much always have. Not much else needs to be known.

That’s a good point actually: why is it important to know what influence NCSoft has?

Ultimately we will never know exactly. NCSoft have owned Anet since before most of us even heard of the company and they’ve never explicitly said “We are doing this because NCSoft told us to” so it’s unlikely they ever will.

But it’s also highly unlikely it’s going to suddenly change from the influence they’ve had for the past 14 years, and therefore it’s not something I think we need to worry about. It’s like saying you’re concerned about the influence Sony will have on the future of Playstation.

I think western people doesn’t know about what NCSoft do in the Korea.
NCSoft have terrible triple payment system, terrible RNG,
terrible experiment boost selling cost over 1000 dollar,
terrible grindfest game make.

It is why I’m worried about NCSoft influence this game…
If it does, it is more than EA ruined westwood.

thingol.8730:

I think western people doesn’t know about what NCSoft do in the Korea.
NCSoft have terrible triple payment system, terrible RNG,
terrible experiment boost selling cost over 1000 dollar,
terrible grindfest game make.

It is why I’m worried about NCSoft influence this game…
If it does, it is more than EA ruined westwood.

I’m sure NCSoft has as much (well, maybe a bit less) influence over GW2 as they did GW1. The Devs have stated, more than once, that they have pretty much free reign when it comes to the development and handling of the Guild Wars franchise.

Why does it matter to you what “western people” do or know?
You say how bad they are yet here you are with a paid for account.

bad forum pvp is bad.

thingol.8730:

I think western people doesn’t know about what NCSoft do in the Korea.
[…]
It is why I’m worried about NCSoft influence this game…

NCSoft has been involved with Guild Wars since GW1, so I don’t see a reason for concern. Regardless of what they do in other territories, or with other games, they seem to be pretty hands-off with ArenaNet. I’m not saying they have zero influence, but it’s not like they’re a new partner who’s going to rock the boat recklessly.

Because NCSoft’s terrible politic is known for Korea(I’m also Korean) and their game
Lineage1’s terrible RNG or tettible experiment booster’s cost issue does not known for
haven’t their game play experiment people.

Many people talking terrible politics about game developer’s and this is for
cosumer’s right I think.

You looks pretty much NC’s officials.

With lunar’s year event allowed, I think the issue with cantha is over now. Lunar’s year is obviously an Asia irl event.

You already own GW2, you can play it yourself and see what the game is like and what items they sell in the cash shop.

There is no reason to think any of that is going to change now just because NCSoft own the company that makes GW2.

There is an awful lot of tin foil hattery going on in this thread.

I think NCSOFT may have suggested the mix Asian look of Cantha wouldn’t fly in China and that was a target market NCSOFT was entering.

No issue making it more Chinese/Korean, just Japanese influence would be a problem.

I have to ask, do we know for sure that NC put the ca-bosh on various Canthan based content, do we actually know for sure that Asian players complained about Cantha being too much of a mix? Or was that just a widely accepted myth? I mean, the giant hole that people say was where the Canthan district was supposedly meant to be actually dates as far back as the first GW2 trailer. Something just seems kinda off with the “No Cantha” claim made in that merged thread.

The Greyhawk.9107:

I have to ask, do we know for sure that NC put the ca-bosh on various Canthan based content, do we actually know for sure that Asian players complained about Cantha being too much of a mix? Or was that just a widely accepted myth? I mean, the giant hole that people say was where the Canthan district was supposedly meant to be actually dates as far back as the first GW2 trailer. Something just seems kinda off with the “No Cantha” claim made in that merged thread.

We know that there was a Canthan district planned for where the giant hole is now because concept art and even screenshots of it were released (not sure if it was a leak or an official release) and we know that it was replaced with a giant hole because they changed their minds too close to release to build an entire new district.

But I’m not sure where the story about NCSoft stopping them came from. I’ve heard it a lot, with varying levels of detail, but I don’t know the original source.