Season 4 Episode 4 Release Date?

[DreamyAbaddon.3265]

Does anyone have an idea when Season 4, Episode 4 will be released?

I enjoyed the 3rd episode, even though it was short story wise. Anyone got any theories on when it will be released?

 

[JustTrogdor.7892]

My guess is some time in October around the same time as the Halloween festivities. That would put it roughly around the same time as the last season 4 releases.

https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Living_World_Season_4#Dates_of_free_access

 

With that in mind, two narrative writers no longer work for Anet since the last episode was released. So maybe that will have an impact or cause a delay as well. I kind of doubt that though as I am guessing the story itself was written a long time ago.

[Ephemiel.5694]

They always take a few months.

[Healix.5819]

Although episode 4 should already be complete due to delaying the last episode, they still need to spread it out so that the team that was delayed has enough time for their next episode. At the earliest, episode 4 could be released near the end of August in time for PAX, otherwise they'll probably take the full 3 months and release near the end of September.

[Fenom.9457]

Probably September sometime to fill that space, but they do but it could also be the same patch as Halloween (like HoT was).

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

*If* they keep to/manage the timeframe they've stated as a goal (two-three months) 4.4 should come anytime between Aug 28 and Sept 25.

 

I think we can comfortably say that there is close to zero chance it would come *before* Aug 28 - both due to pacing, and due to the festival ending two weeks prior.

 

There are arguments to be made both for expecting it within the shorter time fram, and for expecting it'll take longer.

* Both 4.2 and 4.3 were delayed. I wouldn't be surprised if 4.4 is as well.

* On the other hand, that means the team behind 4.4 has gotten ~4 "extra" weeks relative to the expected launch window.

* Two writers prominent in the Living World narrative team were abruptly fired a couple of weeks ago, we have no idea if/when that will impact development.

* But the delay in 4.3 was supposedly due to changes in dev process, that's meant to make their work faster.

 

In short - way too many unknowns to be able to predict closer than "not before end of august".

[zealex.9410]

In 3 to 4 months in good old se4 fashion.

 

 

Sigh and i was excited by the thought of s4 having 8 episodes.

[Blocki.4931]

Personally I don't believe it will take long. We have Ep 3 for a month now, I'll give it another month and a half at most. Previous delays don't have to mean anything, since they have their own team working on it & it being in the works for months already regardless

[zealex.9410]

> @"Blocki.4931" said:

> Personally I don't believe it will take long. We have Ep 3 for a month now, I'll give it another month and a half at most. Previous delays don't have to mean anything, since they have their own team working on it & it being in the works for months already regardless

 

They could mean something if they want to take the delays into acount.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"DreamyAbaddon.3265" said:

> Does anyone have an idea when Season 4, Episode 4 will be released?

> I enjoyed the 3rd episode, even though it was short story wise. Anyone got any theories on when it will be released?

>

 

Those who know aren't telling. Those who tell aren't knowing.

 

You have access to the same information that everyone else does, which is the same for each LS episode: they plan to release one every two to three months or so. The last few were delayed, so one could presume 3 months after _Long Live the Lich_ would be the minimum, which would suggest first week of October. Then, if it's sooner, you can be pleasantly surprised.

 

ANet only tells us when a new story is coming out right before it's release.

[Arden.7480]

I hope in 2 months release cadence.

 

The end of August? Maybe...

 

We will see what: _With the amount of gameplay and breadth of content in Living World, we noticed that we had an opportunity to make some adjustments to how we approach developing each episode that will help us hit our quality standards more consistently._ means.

[Danikat.8537]

What Anet have said is they schedule Living Story releases to be released 2-3 months apart. Meaning we should not expect it sooner than 60 days after the last release or later than 90 days. (With a bit of adjustment for the fact that they always come out on a Tuesday and a calendar month is not always 30 days.)

 

Long Live The Lich came out on the 26th June. So the earliest the next episode could be released is the 25th August, but that's a Saturday so it'd be the 28th. Or it could be any time up to 25th September.

 

Other things to consider are the Festival of the Four Winds starting today and running until the 14th August, the anniversary at the end of August (which is not exactly an in-game event, it's more gem store sales and the start of the new years birthday gifts) and Halloween at the end of October. They'll want to space it out from those, so my guess would be early September.

 

There are other factors of course - Long Live The Lich was delayed due to problems with the release which we cannot predict and won't know about unless Anet tell us. But based on the release schedule alone we're looking at late August - September.

[Aenaos.8160]

When it's ready!(?)

[Game of Bones.8975]

Of course, by not talking about a release date it can't be late.

 

I don't think they would want to have both a Halloween festival and new story roll out at the same time.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Any Tuesday between August 21st and September 18th if they want to remain between the 2-3 month / 8-12 week cadence.

 

I doubt it will be late like the last two given that 1) A Bug in the System's delay was due to a bug, so an anomaly; 2) Long Live the Lich's delay was due to reorganizing the teams a bit; 3) with LLtL's month delay, it honestly should be nearly ready to launch _now_, given that it we are now hitting the 8 month mark in development of Episode 4, and every team has 6-9 months to develop, dependent on the release gaps of the other teams. They _could_ take a full 10 months to develop Episode 4, but do they need to?

[Pifil.5193]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> Any Tuesday between August 21st and September 18th if they want to remain between the 2-3 month / 8-12 week cadence.

>

> I doubt it will be late like the last two given that 1) A Bug in the System's delay was due to a bug, so an anomaly; 2) Long Live the Lich's delay was due to reorganizing the teams a bit; 3) with LLtL's month delay, it honestly should be nearly ready to launch _now_, given that it we are now hitting the 8 month mark in development of Episode 4, and every team has 6-9 months to develop, dependent on the release gaps of the other teams. They _could_ take a full 10 months to develop Episode 4, but do they need to?

 

I think that it's reasonable to assume that the reorganisation affected all the LS teams so their schedules have probably all slipped by a month (or more).

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

> @"Pifil.5193" said:

> > @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> > Any Tuesday between August 21st and September 18th if they want to remain between the 2-3 month / 8-12 week cadence.

> >

> > I doubt it will be late like the last two given that 1) A Bug in the System's delay was due to a bug, so an anomaly; 2) Long Live the Lich's delay was due to reorganizing the teams a bit; 3) with LLtL's month delay, it honestly should be nearly ready to launch _now_, given that it we are now hitting the 8 month mark in development of Episode 4, and every team has 6-9 months to develop, dependent on the release gaps of the other teams. They _could_ take a full 10 months to develop Episode 4, but do they need to?

>

> I think that it's reasonable to assume that the reorganisation affected all the LS teams so their schedules have probably all slipped by a month (or more).

 

I set my expectation along those lines, at least. I prefer to set my sights on the later end, to keep delays less frustrating.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

> @"Pifil.5193" said:

> > @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> > Any Tuesday between August 21st and September 18th if they want to remain between the 2-3 month / 8-12 week cadence.

> >

> > I doubt it will be late like the last two given that 1) A Bug in the System's delay was due to a bug, so an anomaly; 2) Long Live the Lich's delay was due to reorganizing the teams a bit; 3) with LLtL's month delay, it honestly should be nearly ready to launch _now_, given that it we are now hitting the 8 month mark in development of Episode 4, and every team has 6-9 months to develop, dependent on the release gaps of the other teams. They _could_ take a full 10 months to develop Episode 4, but do they need to?

>

> I think that it's reasonable to assume that the reorganisation affected all the LS teams so their schedules have probably all slipped by a month (or more).

 

I agree that there would be some delay. However, the reorganization would have taken place at a different points in development (as they no doubt happened universally across the teams at the same time), which I feel would mean the other two teams were less affected. I am fully expecting a September launch, personally speaking.

 

My main point, though, was to dissuade the statements of October, which would mark a 4 month gap rather than 3.

[Endless Soul.5178]

We're _already_ asking this?

[Malafaia.8903]

After the last episode i really don't care.

I expect them to release something when they actually HAVE something, not a beta.

[Zaklex.6308]

It'll be released when it's released, but consider this, the 2 - 3 month schedule is based on "normal" release dates and should/do not take into account delays with previous episodes. Which means that you'd actually have to figure out the latest "normal" release dates would have been for Ep.2 and Ep.3 and work forward from there, factoring in any potential future "delays" to the rest of the season. At this rate we'll probably get episode 7 and/or 8 sometime around a year from now, which would play into a Sept./Oct. 2019 release date for Exp. #3.

[Vostroyan.9214]

I think it would take them a lot longer to finish. At least more then 4 months +. Now that they have 2 narrative wrighters less at anet. Unless they started hierings new ones they need to be in track with all the story more or less.

[Fenom.9457]

> @"Endless Soul.5178" said:

> We're _already_ asking this?

 

It feels early but it’s actually been a month already

[lokh.2695]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> > @"DreamyAbaddon.3265" said:

> > Does anyone have an idea when Season 4, Episode 4 will be released?

> > I enjoyed the 3rd episode, even though it was short story wise. Anyone got any theories on when it will be released?

> >

>

> Those who know aren't telling. Those who tell aren't knowing.

>

> You have access to the same information that everyone else does, which is the same for each LS episode: they plan to release one every two to three months or so. The last few were delayed, so one could presume 3 months after _Long Live the Lich_ would be the minimum, which would suggest first week of October. Then, if it's sooner, you can be pleasantly surprised.

>

> ANet only tells us when a new story is coming out right before it's release.

 

Great answer to all these threads right here^^

 

It's ready when it's ready.

[Ubi.4136]

I would think Sept/Oct time frame. Don't forget, that is also about the time they would be announcing the next expansion (like in previous ones). So, I imagine they will be late in the release of info, but when they do it will include at least a name for the expansion.