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[Interview] Guild Wars 2: 'Consistent Steady Growth'

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565
in News & Features Discussion

With today's announcement that ArenaNet would be dropping the price of Guild Wars 2, lots of players have expressed interesting in knowing some of the reasons behind that decision. We participated in a conference call with Colin Johanson to find out more about the decision and more about Guild Wars 2 going forward. 


"Guild Wars 2 is in a solid place. The drop in price aligns almost exactly with what we did with Guild Wars 1. It held its value over a long period of time and we feel that Guild Wars 2 will do the same. We don't feel we need a big price drop. The game is in a really good place with consistent, steady growth."

Read more of Suzie Ford's Guild Wars 2: 'Consistent Steady Growth Puts Us in a Good Place'.

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Comments

  • SiphaedSiphaed Member RarePosts: 1,114

    Best valued MMORPG out there.  So much free content, so many choices of gameplay, and such fun gameplay at that.  Really can't beat it (that is, unless Wildstar is going to be B2P, then it might be beat).

    Can't wait for next Tuesday's big WvW Ascended patch (of course, with the ending Southsun Shores content as well).


  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • WhitebeardsWhitebeards Member Posts: 778
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

  • MotroucetMotroucet Member Posts: 2
    'ChinaJoy' has got to be the happiest most inviting convention name I've ever heard of.  ^_^
     
  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

    Read again

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • AsamofAsamof Member UncommonPosts: 824
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

    that sir is pre emptive damage control at its finest

  • niceguy3978niceguy3978 Member UncommonPosts: 2,051
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Edit:  And just to be clear on this, I'm not trying to pick on GW2, it just happens to be the big news piece right now.  Really the issue I raise is universal for F2P and B2P games that don't offer any kinid of sub that can be canceled.  It will be perpetually growing because you can't (and there is no need to) "cancel."

  • Dreamo84Dreamo84 Member UncommonPosts: 3,713
    LIES!!! Someone said a themepark MMO can't possibley be successful! Those this whole article must be one big lie!

    image
  • botrytisbotrytis Member RarePosts: 3,363
    Originally posted by Asamof
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

    that sir is pre emptive damage control at its finest

    No - usually the first 2-3 comments are usually negative with articles about GW2 or the title of the thread is negative - like this thread - http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/385205/Im-so-confused-about-how-this-game-is-thriving.html

     

    If that isn't negative, I don't know what is.


  • jimdandy26jimdandy26 Member Posts: 527
    Originally posted by niceguy3978

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Game pop has never been a good metric. Revenue is the only reliable metric you can use to judge by.

    I did battle with ignorance today, and ignorance won.

    To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled - because a right is a kind of power but they are too lazy or too cowardly to exercise it. The virtues which cloak these faults are called patience and forbearance.

  • rodingorodingo Member RarePosts: 2,870
    Originally posted by Asamof
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

    that sir is pre emptive damage control at its finest

    You guys are great :)

    "If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    Where's the data

    E.g. unique logins per week.
  • reeereeereeereee Member UncommonPosts: 1,636
    Heh, I prolly got counted in this, started logging in 2-3 hours a week rather than my usual zero.
  • niceguy3978niceguy3978 Member UncommonPosts: 2,051
    Originally posted by jimdandy26
    Originally posted by niceguy3978

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Game pop has never been a good metric. Revenue is the only reliable metric you can use to judge by.

     

    I would tend to agree, my main point was that in the past when sub games dominated the market, game population and income could often be used as a proxy because everyone playing had to pay to do so.  Today you can't tell as readily how many people are playing from revenue.  

  • PAL-18PAL-18 Member UncommonPosts: 844
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing. 

    So are you saying that NCsoft's managing director, Nah Seong Chan is hater and dont like the game ??

    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-05-13-ncsoft-profits-up-yoy-but-down-on-last-quarter

     

    So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
    **On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    Originally posted by niceguy3978
    Originally posted by jimdandy26
    Originally posted by niceguy3978

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Game pop has never been a good metric. Revenue is the only reliable metric you can use to judge by.

     

    I would tend to agree, my main point was that in the past when sub games dominated the market, game population and income could often be used as a proxy because everyone playing had to pay to do so.  Today you can't tell as readily how many people are playing from revenue.  

    you can

    How many unique people log in per week

    How many hours per week does the average player play

    Done

  • niceguy3978niceguy3978 Member UncommonPosts: 2,051
    Originally posted by ShakyMo
    Originally posted by niceguy3978
    Originally posted by jimdandy26
    Originally posted by niceguy3978

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Game pop has never been a good metric. Revenue is the only reliable metric you can use to judge by.

     

    I would tend to agree, my main point was that in the past when sub games dominated the market, game population and income could often be used as a proxy because everyone playing had to pay to do so.  Today you can't tell as readily how many people are playing from revenue.  

    you can

    How many unique people log in per week

    How many hours per week does the average player play

    Done

    You can't derive that from revenue.  And virtually nobody will tell you that after the initial couple of months after release.  EVE tells you this every time you log in, but nobody else does that I'm aware of.  I know Planetside 2 did that a while back, but how many times have they provided this info and when was the most recent?  It is the same reason nobody other than wow (and they stopped) gave regular sub updates.  If it can't be used for marketing then they aren't going to give the info.

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    Originally posted by niceguy3978
    Originally posted by ShakyMo
    Originally posted by niceguy3978
    Originally posted by jimdandy26
    Originally posted by niceguy3978

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Game pop has never been a good metric. Revenue is the only reliable metric you can use to judge by.

     

    I would tend to agree, my main point was that in the past when sub games dominated the market, game population and income could often be used as a proxy because everyone playing had to pay to do so.  Today you can't tell as readily how many people are playing from revenue.  

    you can

    How many unique people log in per week

    How many hours per week does the average player play

    Done

    You can't derive that from revenue.  And virtually nobody will tell you that after the initial couple of months after release.  EVE tells you this every time you log in, but nobody else does that I'm aware of.  I know Planetside 2 did that a while back, but how many times have they provided this info and when was the most recent?  It is the same reason nobody other than wow (and they stopped) gave regular sub updates.  If it can't be used for marketing then they aren't going to give the info.

    Sony gave out that info on PS2 (and their other games like EQ & EQ2) in their march report

    But yeah i know what you mean, they aren't going to give this out.  but surely if GW2 has "consistent heavy growth", they would want to show off their player metrics and data, for marketing.

     

  • jimdandy26jimdandy26 Member Posts: 527
    Originally posted by ShakyMo

    you can

    How many unique people log in per week

    How many hours per week does the average player play

    Done

    If that is the case then one can easily argue that Eve is not the sandbox messiah many of you claim it is. The number of players logged in has not changed much in 3 years.

    I did battle with ignorance today, and ignorance won.

    To exercise power costs effort and demands courage. That is why so many fail to assert rights to which they are perfectly entitled - because a right is a kind of power but they are too lazy or too cowardly to exercise it. The virtues which cloak these faults are called patience and forbearance.

  • PivotelitePivotelite Member UncommonPosts: 2,145
    This just in, steady growth is being passed by Lineage on the earnings report for NCsoft.

    image

  • NobleNerdNobleNerd Member UncommonPosts: 759
    I'd agree with the steady growth. I play on and off since launch and even now I log on and play, sometimes late at night est. time and all the servers are either full or high population. Sometimes the cities and starting zones do not reflect this, but if you head into the higher zones or Lion's Arch you will find many... I still at times get placed into overflow.


  • PivotelitePivotelite Member UncommonPosts: 2,145
    Originally posted by Xepo
    I'd agree with the steady growth. I play on and off since launch and even now I log on and play, sometimes late at night est. time and all the servers are either full or high population. Sometimes the cities and starting zones do not reflect this, but if you head into the higher zones or Lion's Arch you will find many... I still at times get placed into overflow.

    The server status is a flat out lie, they did this in TERA and SWTOR as well, I remember when my server was medium and there would be a queue for all maps in WvW and 160 16/16 games in SPvP.

     

    Now if there's no queue on any map and around 30 16/16 games my server says full. Yeah, i'm sure it's full.

    image

  • CalerxesCalerxes Member UncommonPosts: 1,641
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

     

    lol.... Shoot... Score.

    This doom and gloom thread was brought to you by Chin Up™ the new ultra high caffeine soft drink for gamers who just need that boost of happiness after a long forum session.

  • ZeroxinZeroxin Member UncommonPosts: 2,515
    Originally posted by niceguy3978
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    GW2 is in the same situation as F2P games in the sense, that they can do nothing but grow.  We are going to need to start pushing for other metrics if we are really interested in "how well" a game is doing.  If a sub game loses 5 players and sells 2 boxes it is shrinking, but if F2P or B2P games sell a box or a new account is created it is growing, there is no good way to really measure "loss" in non sub based games.  We can look at financials, but many of the companies are privately owned and don't have to report that info.  So as long as we feel the need to compare game populations for whatever reason, there isn't going to be a really good way to do this with B2P or F2P games.  

    The main reason I said all that is mainly to point out that "growing" doesn't mean much if we don't really know what is gained vs. lost because really nothing (accounts) can't really go down or be lost.

    Edit:  And just to be clear on this, I'm not trying to pick on GW2, it just happens to be the big news piece right now.  Really the issue I raise is universal for F2P and B2P games that don't offer any kinid of sub that can be canceled.  It will be perpetually growing because you can't (and there is no need to) "cancel."

    Fortunately for you, GW2 goes by Concurrent users. Yea they sold 3mil boxes but it seems those concurrent users are increasing with the rise in people playing WvW and SPvP.

    They never come right out and say it but it seems like that's the case.

    This is not a game.

  • Eir_SEir_S Member UncommonPosts: 4,440
    Originally posted by Whitebeards
    Originally posted by rodingo
    Lol, man these articles recently are really stirring up the haters.   Of course, those who don't like the game are going to say that it isn't true that GW2 is growing.  Those of us who do, will say it is.  However GW2 is a gift that keeps on giving.  Not only has it supplied me hundreds of hours of enjoyable gametime (without a monthly sub), it has also provided me with hundreds of humorous rants on this site from haters who say we shouldn't be enjoying the game because they don't and that the game is dead/dying.  Thank you Anet and MMORPG.COM!  image

    Umm no one even said anything negative or it was just a pre emptive damage control? image

    I think he's referring to the bazillion other articles where the GW2 team claims the game is doing well and everyone shits their pants over it (ie: "articles recently").  Honestly, I don't see the point.  The only AAA game I truly hated in years was TSW and I don't hope their team fails at everything they do, I just don't play it.  But if anyone asks how the combat is, well...

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