Returning Players... Looking Grim?

[Burate.4219]

Greetings! Quick thought as I read the article about Arena Net's Layoff coming out and with a few negative threads I've seen pop up here and there about GW2 and some of the community within my world, is Guild Wars 2 good for new/returning players? (Question for me personally) Bit of background about me: Purchased the game back in 2013 when I finally came back from Basic Training, loved the game... unfortunately grew apart from it due to various reasons. 6 years later, SOOOOO much has changed/been added, I'm in love with the game again. (Though if im honest, i do feel a bit overwhelmed at times) I figured, if i can knock out the main quests (1/3 so far :D), and the living world scenarios, I can definitely get a better grasp of the game! However, I'm a bit nervous to commit all my time/money to the game if its "dying", as I saw a player & article say.

Would love to know the communities view, and not a couple articles and players spatting negativity all the time about GW2.

 

Much love

[Batel.9206]

It's nothing more than the usual doom and gloom surrounding news of this sort. ArenaNet laying off some staff? O NO THE GAME IS ENDINGGGGGG!!!1! It isn't. ArenaNet just posted an announcement that says, paraphrased, "we hear your concerns; don't worry. This isn't going to affect our game." [Here's the link. ](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/69249/update-from-arenanet "Here's the link. ")

 

If you're returning, welcome back! :) The game is wonderful - and yes, it can feel rather overwhelming at first, but just take it slowly and easily, and *have fun* playing. You'll get the hang of it! (I can't really offer advice about what's changed or not; I've only been here a year, myself. Still, welcome back and I hope you have fun!)

[Puma.3645]

i said this on another thread but im sure the layoffs are probably gonna be a good thing. 400 people in this company... if they all make 30k$ a year(devs surely making more), thats 12million going out in salaries. no way theyre making that much in profit. we can possibly get more quality content with smaller staff.this game is definitely not dying, i mean theres not even many other options of mmos these days.

[Burate.4219]

Thanks, its good to be back! :) I had forgotten the Beauty behind this game and the Guild Wars 1. Brings back a lot of memories!

[Burate.4219]

> @"Puma.3645" said:

> i said this on another thread but im sure the layoffs are probably gonna be a good thing. 400 people in this company for just a few games?. if they all make 30k$ a year(devs surely making more), thats 14million going out in salaries. no way theyre making that much in profit. we can get more quality content so they can stop fiddling in these side jobs(silly mobile games or something). this game is definitely not dying, i mean theres not even many other options of mmos these days.

 

That is definitely a way to think about it.... I'll keep that perspective in mind!

[Elothar.4382]

Disclaimer: I don't think anyone here can tell you what's going inside ArenaNet. You'll see a lot of guesses and assumptions, but you should take them for what they are.

 

Here's what I've seen (admittedly, from my own perspective and given my own preferences). The maps seem pretty populated to me—Tyria, HoT, and PoF. Examples.... I run Dragon Stand meta regularly and there never seems to be a problem filling the squads. I've done the Auric Basin and Tangled Depths meta within the last week and they were well attended. I'm map clearing in Tyria on some new characters and all the maps I've seen tend to have lots of people. The last three days, I've hooked up with Legendary Bounty trains in PoF and had thirty/forty people in the squad. So, with regard to participation... there seems to be plenty.There are some LW areas I don't hang out in much, so I can't speak to those.

 

We are getting LW episodes at about two to three month intervals. New legendary weapons are coming out at a measured pace.... maybe too slow for some, but I find it comfortable. There are periodic balance patches. They have put out some fractal content, I think with the last LW episode. Not sure about raids, since I don't do that. There's a new WvW mount coming out (mixed reaction to that). I guess my point is that they seem to be keeping the game up and I don't see any signs of it dying any time soon.

 

Others will likely see it differently, but I've been hearing the dire predictions of the game dying for years now. My nickel's worth is, if you enjoy playing the game, jump in and have fun.

[Edward H Angle.1407]

Looks like a bad time to come back. No one wants to spend hundreds of their hard earned dollars in a game only to see it possible shut down later on

[Puma.3645]

> @"Edward H Angle.1407" said:

> Looks like a bad time to come back. No one wants to spend hundreds of their hard earned dollars in a game only to see it possible shut down later on

 

actually, theres just a lot of negativity going on in the forums right now. the game is very lively(maps full on metas, can always find a group for something in lfg). even the staff just said a few min ago they're making new content.

[kasoki.5180]

Honestly, you can basically find people to do content at any time. I frequently do my T4 fractal runs at 03:00 in the morning. I'm sure it depends on the content that you are doing but in my opinion game feels very much populated and alive.

 

On topic of recent news about game's future and development. Well, no one can really say anything about that without making gross assumptions. Your best bet is to wait until 26th when the new balance patch comes in and changes to WvW are presented.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Burate.4219" said:

> is Guild Wars 2 good for new/returning players?

Yes, for all intents and purposes, nothing is changing for new & returning players anytime soon.

 

All current plans for _Guild Wars 2_ are still going forward. It looks like some other projects are affected (speculation: mobile games). It seems likely that ANet is also going to have to hand over some shared functions to NCSOFT West, which include things that don't require an ANet employee, e.g. publicity (at least certain types), global communications, legal, and **maybe** support and/or security (since NCSOFT used to handle that, not ANet, ages and ages ago).

 

But...

All we really know is that people are getting laid off. Which, frankly, is pretty common for companies of this size: if they aren't expanding, they tend to go through periods of shrinkage (which get followed by ... well, anything, growth, more shrinkage, or stability; it really depends).

 

tl;dr as players, we probably aren't going to notice the effects for months, if not longer. (Even then, unlikely to affect a lot of us at all.)

[ScyeRynn.4218]

The game is finally in a good direction with the story, but there needs to be more content than just bite-sized episode updates every 3-4 months. Build templates would be nice for PVP players. Housing endgame for the PVE aesthetic players that like to earn and show off their achievements. New and better modes of gameplay in WvW. Ways to get exclusive mount skins through collections instead of just gold or gems. Legendary journeys that aren't monotonous and repetitive. There is so much you can do with the game and the minor updates they have done since PoF came out aren't enough.

 

Expansion 3 needs to be in the works. I hope it is. Otherwise, a GW 3 should be the future focus before we lose GW altogether.

[Bast.7253]

My personal opinion is a mixture of hope and disappointment.

 

I've spent quite a bit of money on this game, especially with new releases and gemstore items. And part of how I justify it is that it's money that I'm essentially reinvesting into the game, and as a thanks for making the content. So, to find out that some of that money I thought I was essentially reinvesting into Guild Wars 2 was potentially getting funneled into a now canceled project is a little disappointing. And the fiasco of Kourna and Gandara and the numerous restructuring they've done since then, as well as what's felt like a very erratic and somewhat inconsistent quality and release cadence, always gave me the impression that there was something going on internally that was really not working. Depending on when they pulled the devs to those other projects, that could align with the shift in this living season. I feel bad for the ones left over that are focused solely on Guild Wars 2, because despite some of the releases not being quite as good as the others, they've potentially been putting in a lot of effort just to release what they have. I'd say the maps don't have the same level of replayability, but if the teams have shrunk and resources have been cut, they've probably been doing the best they could just to meet something even close to that two to three month cadence they originally stated. And that's bad for us as the players and especially bad for the devs that are having to push themselves to create content that may not even meet their personal expectations. It may not be like this at all, but if it rings even remotely true, it leads me to the hopeful part of my opinion which is...

 

Now that resources and more focus could be put on Guild Wars 2, I wonder what this could mean for the future in terms of quality and release schedule. Hopefully, if some of those focus shifts back to the game that I want to support, it could mean in increase in quality and potentially quantity.

 

Still though, to make a few posts during delays and what not insisting that each delay or each restructure is in an attempt to increase the quality of the content they put out, the quality that they put so much emphasis on, and then behind-the-scenes funnel devs and resources to other projects does not sit well with me as a consumer. I'm sure it's done all the time in the industry, but to have it really set in right now. Eh...

 

I don't know how many people can really be surprised though. It's kind of felt like the passion that used to be there was kind of dwindling.

 

Maybe it will be terrible and ultimately just wind up with no expansions/elite specs/fun new features like housing and just permanently be additional maps and Sun's Refuge style collection hubs.

 

Or maybe it will be great and we'll start seeing more consistency with release schedules and more replayability beyond collection achievement grinds with each episode.

 

So to summarize, I'm partially dumfounded and a little mistrusting to find out that we've had numerous posts about valuing quality when resources and devs are being cut from the game, and partially in admiration of the ones that have been left over trying to release the same quality I've always been impressed with in Guild Wars 2. I can't imagine how difficult it must be attempting to create these grandiose maps each episode in an attempt to keep up pace. I'm also far less inclined to believe much of any p.r. in the future, not that I was overly trusting to begin with.

 

And the latest response to this and the future of Guild Wars 2 said nothing that we didn't already know. Insisted that Guild Wars 2 will see no negative impact of this and that season 4 is jumping into season 5. The latter we already knew, and the former could merely be a way to sway concern.

 

Whatever this means for Guild Wars 2 though, it seems pretty clear we'll never really know.. which is as to be expected for the most part. But we've already had multiple shake-ups and restructurings that have created issues and delays with content releases, so this could ultimately lead to yet another.

 

The silence may work to their advantage in terms of keeping player expectations at least somewhat manageable, but it gives situations like this the illusion of complete chaos in the development process.

 

Only thing we can really do is hope for the best, and despite the bit of angst I have about the reshuffling of resources from the game I wanted to support, again, I commend those focused solely on Guild Wars 2 for potentially putting in far more work now that their teams have potentially shrunk.

 

Hope you guys get everything squared away. All of this news coming to the surface sure is a bittersweet answer to some of the questions I've been asking myself for quite awhile.

 

Btdubs - I assume these twitter posts about the gods are potentially teasers of future content, and if they are, thanks for that. Despite all of this silence I still think it's great to keep doing things like this to keep the community stirred and lively with anticipation.

 

 

 

[Cyninja.2954]

Just going to leave this here, since the article in question has been updated with more information:

> "We can confirm that due to the cancellation of unannounced projects, ArenaNet will make staff reductions," the statement reads. "This is part of a larger organizational restructuring within NCSOFT in the west, but the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 game services will not be affected, nor is any upcoming game content canceled."

 

So as far as to TC's original question:

If the official statement is to be believed, nothing changes for GW2 (except maybe gaining some more work force which might get shuffled back in from side projects).

 

I guess as GW2 player this is the best we could hope for when in comes to layoffs. Still best wishes to all affected employees and good luck.

[Tiviana.2650]

> @"Puma.3645" said:

> i said this on another thread but im sure the layoffs are probably gonna be a good thing. 400 people in this company... if they all make 30k$ a year(devs surely making more), thats 12million going out in salaries. no way theyre making that much in profit. we can possibly get more quality content with smaller staff.this game is definitely not dying, i mean theres not even many other options of mmos these days.

 

Umm if they layoff all 400 isnt that the whole Anet group? I mean where did they say 400?

[Danikat.8537]

I understand your concern but I don't think you've got anything to worry about. Firstly forum posts talking about what a terrible state the game is in are nothing new and not remotely unique to GW2. If you look at any MMOs forum (probably any games forum) you'd be lead to believe it started off badly, got progressively worse and now exists purely to trick players into spending money. It's the age-old problem with forums: people come to complain about something they're unhappy with, to kill time because they don't have anything better to do or because they're some kind of crazy person who enjoys reading posts by the first two, so there're more inclined to be negative. That and it's easier to have a discussion about something which some people don't like or which could be better, when everyone is happy it's just "I like this thing" "Yes, I like it too" "I like it because X" "I also like X, I like Y too" "Yes" and it quickly gets boring.

 

The news that Anet is laying off staff is concerning, but even the rumours flying around say it's mostly not related to GW2 and this game is going to keep going. It may have fewer people working on it, but the same people predicting disaster now have often said previously they have too many people at the company for the work they put out and cannot justify it. So arguably they're getting what they've always said should happen and in theory should think this will put Anet in a better position to continue in future.

 

> @"Edward H Angle.1407" said:

> Looks like a bad time to come back. No one wants to spend hundreds of their hard earned dollars in a game only to see it possible shut down later on

 

Well the good news there is no one needs to spend hundreds of dollars on GW2, especially not a newly returning player. They may want to buy both expansions, which is about $60 for the bundle (can't check the exact price because it only shows me UK prices) and maybe living world episodes they've missed if they're interested in the story or want access to specific maps, but I doubt that would come to more than $100 and there's absolutely no need to buy that all at once.

 

More importantly however Anet have specifically said GW2 is not going to shut down any time soon and their plan for new releases is going to continue. Even the rumours flying around say the layoffs are more related to unannounced projects which never got off the ground (something which is extremely common in the games industry.

 

I completely understand it's a worrying time for all of us, but I don't see any need to jump to the worst case scenario immediately.

 

> @"Tiviana.2650" said:

> > @"Puma.3645" said:

> > i said this on another thread but im sure the layoffs are probably gonna be a good thing. 400 people in this company... if they all make 30k$ a year(devs surely making more), thats 12million going out in salaries. no way theyre making that much in profit. we can possibly get more quality content with smaller staff.this game is definitely not dying, i mean theres not even many other options of mmos these days.

>

> Umm if they layoff all 400 isnt that the whole Anet group? I mean where did they say 400?

 

I think you misunderstood. Puma said there's 400 people in the company in total, and went on to speculate about how much their salaries cost compared to what he/she imagines Anet earns in a year. No one has said all 400 staff are going to be laid off, as far as I know no information has come out about how many people will be laid off.

[Vegeta.2563]

I heard the layoffs were related to cancelled projects unrelated to GW2, and they will be letting some of those people go?

 

I just think if those people would have stayed working on GW2 this whole time, a lot more could have been put into the game during then.

[derd.6413]

> @"Vegeta.2563" said:

> I heard the layoffs were related to cancelled projects unrelated to GW2, and they will be letting some of those people go?

>

> I just think if those people would have stayed working on GW2 this whole time, a lot more could have been put into the game during then.

 

having to many ppl work on one thing just ends up with everybody tripping over each-other

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Batel.9206" said:

> It's nothing more than the usual doom and gloom surrounding news of this sort. ArenaNet laying off some staff? O NO THE GAME IS ENDINGGGGGG!!!1! It isn't. ArenaNet just posted an announcement that says, paraphrased, "we hear your concerns; don't worry. This isn't going to affect our game." [Here's the link. ](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/69249/update-from-arenanet "Here's the link. ")

I think it's a little bit more than that and the quote you link doesn't speak of the things that matter most like a next expansion. Also it's more than just people being layed off. To quote the Kotaku article:

"...merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process".

 

What I expect this to mean is that ArenaNet will no longer be a separate unit as they've been so far and though GW2 will still get support I wouldn't hold my breath for another expansion anymore. I don't want to use the term maintenance mode for this because they will still bring out new content but it seems to me that the big updates will be the LS chapters and no longer expansions.

 

I've voiced before that ArenaNet better be working on a new game because it's not sustainable for the long run to just keep betting on the GW2 horse. And seeing that apparently there is nothing new coming out, nor an expansion at least for the foreseeable future, it appears that I was right to be concerned.

 

Oh and here's the link to the Kotaku article: https://kotaku.com/guild-wars-2-developer-arenanet-plans-for-mass-layoffs-1832799804

 

 

 

[Ganathar.4956]

> @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> > @"Batel.9206" said:

> > It's nothing more than the usual doom and gloom surrounding news of this sort. ArenaNet laying off some staff? O NO THE GAME IS ENDINGGGGGG!!!1! It isn't. ArenaNet just posted an announcement that says, paraphrased, "we hear your concerns; don't worry. This isn't going to affect our game." [Here's the link. ](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/69249/update-from-arenanet "Here's the link. ")

> I think it's a little bit more than that and the quote you link doesn't speak of the things that matter most like a next expansion. Also it's more than just people being layed off. To quote the Kotaku article:

> "...merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process".

>

> What I expect this to mean is that ArenaNet will no longer be a separate unit as they've been so far and though GW2 will still get support I wouldn't hold my breath for another expansion anymore. I don't want to use the term maintenance mode for this because they will still bring out new content but it seems to me that the big updates will be the LS chapters and no longer expansions.

>

> I've voiced before that ArenaNet better be working on a new game because it's not sustainable for the long run to just keep betting on the GW2 horse. And seeing that apparently there is nothing new coming out, nor an expansion at least for the foreseeable future, it appears that I was right to be concerned.

>

> Oh and here's the link to the Kotaku article: https://kotaku.com/guild-wars-2-developer-arenanet-plans-for-mass-layoffs-1832799804

>

>

>

 

This is nothing but baseless speculation. Do I need to remind you that PoF was announced like 2 months before it released? The only reason why people knew about it before that is because of the reddit leaks. Abandoning the expansion model would be a pretty odd move, especially since it is frequently mentioned in the NCsoft quarterly reports that it is expansions that keep GW2's income stable. You'd think that if NCsoft wanted Anet to restructure they would desire more expansions instead of just living world.

 

I understand that Anet's policy of silence does not inspire confidence, but this is nothing new because it has been going on since shortly after HoT released. Even so, they should communicate more and they should just come out and confirm that there is an expansion, so all of this baseless speculation can stop. They don't have to even say what the expansion is, just that it is being worked on and that more details will start being released during living world 5.

 

Edit: Also their publishing divisions being merged does not really say much. Publishing has nothing to do with developing. They are only merging the publishing divisions because having a single division for all of their western games is way more efficient. Having multiple publishing divisions is a waste of resources for dubious benefits at best. It's even possible that the game will get more exposure if publishing merges, because Arenanet is pretty bad at advertising.

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Ganathar.4956" said:

> > @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> > > @"Batel.9206" said:

> > > It's nothing more than the usual doom and gloom surrounding news of this sort. ArenaNet laying off some staff? O NO THE GAME IS ENDINGGGGGG!!!1! It isn't. ArenaNet just posted an announcement that says, paraphrased, "we hear your concerns; don't worry. This isn't going to affect our game." [Here's the link. ](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/69249/update-from-arenanet "Here's the link. ")

> > I think it's a little bit more than that and the quote you link doesn't speak of the things that matter most like a next expansion. Also it's more than just people being layed off. To quote the Kotaku article:

> > "...merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process".

> >

> > What I expect this to mean is that ArenaNet will no longer be a separate unit as they've been so far and though GW2 will still get support I wouldn't hold my breath for another expansion anymore. I don't want to use the term maintenance mode for this because they will still bring out new content but it seems to me that the big updates will be the LS chapters and no longer expansions.

> >

> > I've voiced before that ArenaNet better be working on a new game because it's not sustainable for the long run to just keep betting on the GW2 horse. And seeing that apparently there is nothing new coming out, nor an expansion at least for the foreseeable future, it appears that I was right to be concerned.

> >

> > Oh and here's the link to the Kotaku article: https://kotaku.com/guild-wars-2-developer-arenanet-plans-for-mass-layoffs-1832799804

> >

> >

> >

>

> This is nothing but baseless speculation. Do I need to remind you that PoF was announced like 2 months before it released? The only reason why people knew about it before that is because of the reddit leaks. Abandoning the expansion model would be a pretty odd move, especially since it is frequently mentioned in the NCsoft quarterly reports that it is expansions that keep GW2's income stable. You'd think that if NCsoft wanted Anet to restructure they would desire more expansions instead of just living world.

>

> I understand that Anet's policy of silence does not inspire confidence, but this is nothing new because it has been going on since shortly after HoT released. Even so, they should communicate more and they should just come out and confirm that there is an expansion, so all of this baseless speculation can stop. They don't have to even say what the expansion is, just that it is being worked on and that more details will start being released during living world 5.

>

> Edit: Also their publishing divisions being merged does not really say much. Publishing has nothing to do with developing. They are only merging the publishing divisions because having a single division for all of their western games is way more efficient. Having multiple publishing divisions is a waste of resources for dubious benefits at best. It's even possible that the game will get more exposure if publishing merges, because Arenanet is pretty bad at advertising.

 

It is speculation. That is true. But it's not baseless. Also it's quite different from PoF because there will be a much longer period of time between expansions this time around if indeed that next expansion will be coming, particularly because we have a full season of LS to materialize before that can even be a reality.

 

Also they're not just merging publishing divisions but the article indicates they are merging ArenaNet in it's entirety with the other publishing divisions. That is a significant difference.

[Yannir.4132]

> @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> Also they're not just merging publishing divisions but the article indicates they are merging ArenaNet in it's entirety with the other publishing divisions. That is a significant difference.

 

I have not read that in any of the pieces of info I've found. The Kotaku article specifically says that PUBLISHING will be concentrated into NC Soft West but doesn't speak of anything else.

 

Some comments from the ANet side have said NC Soft West will also take over many of the miscellaneous general functions that can be found in any company even outside the gaming industry like security. Game development and management, etc. will remain at ANets hands.

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Yannir.4132" said:

> > @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> > Also they're not just merging publishing divisions but the article indicates they are merging ArenaNet in it's entirety with the other publishing divisions. That is a significant difference.

>

> I have not read that in any of the pieces of info I've found. The Kotaku article specifically says that PUBLISHING will be concentrated into NC Soft West but doesn't speak of anything else.

>

> Some comments from the ANet side have said NC Soft West will also take over many of the miscellaneous general functions that can be found in any company even outside the gaming industry like security. Game development and management, etc. will remain at ANets hands.

 

Sorry but then you need to read better. The article says this about Ncsoft's comments:

Yoon added that the company plans to “cut costs across the organization” and restructure across the board, merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process.

 

It doesn't say ArenaNet's and NcSoft's publishing divisions. It says ArenaNet and NcSoft's publishing divisions. So what the article says is that ArenaNet is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. It does NOT say that ArenaNet's publishing division is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. This is why being specific with language can be important. So either the quote is wrong and someone transcribed it incorrectly or ArenaNet itself is being merged with those other divisions. That is what the article currently states.

[Yannir.4132]

> @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> Sorry but then you need to read better. The article says this about Ncsoft's comments:

> Yoon added that the company plans to “cut costs across the organization” and restructure across the board, merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process.

>

> It doesn't say ArenaNet's and NcSoft's publishing divisions. It says ArenaNet and NcSoft's publishing divisions. So what the article says is that ArenaNet is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. It does NOT say that ArenaNet's publishing division is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. This is why being specific with language can be important. So either the quote is wrong and someone transcribed it incorrectly or ArenaNet itself is being merged with those other divisions. That is what the article currently states.

 

So you're jumping to conclusions over something that's most likely a typo? Need I remind you that the person who released the statement is not a native english speaker? Neither are their lawyers who likely wrote the statement. If you take the sentence as you described it, it also stops making sense. Is ANet becoming a full time publisher instead of a development studio?

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Yannir.4132" said:

> > @"Gehenna.3625" said:

> > Sorry but then you need to read better. The article says this about Ncsoft's comments:

> > Yoon added that the company plans to “cut costs across the organization” and restructure across the board, merging ArenaNet and NCSoft’s publishing divisions in the process.

> >

> > It doesn't say ArenaNet's and NcSoft's publishing divisions. It says ArenaNet and NcSoft's publishing divisions. So what the article says is that ArenaNet is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. It does NOT say that ArenaNet's publishing division is being merged with NcSoft's publishing divisions. This is why being specific with language can be important. So either the quote is wrong and someone transcribed it incorrectly or ArenaNet itself is being merged with those other divisions. That is what the article currently states.

>

> So you're jumping to conclusions over something that's most likely a typo? Need I remind you that the person who released the statement is not a native english speaker? Neither are their lawyers who likely wrote the statement. If you take the sentence as you described it, it also stops making sense. Is ANet becoming a full time publisher instead of a development studio?

You assume it's a typo. Maybe it's not. I am well aware of the fact that it's still speculation on my part but to assume it's a typo is just your bias talking. I am basing myself on what it says. You are basing yourself on what you want it to mean.

[kharmin.7683]

> @"Edward H Angle.1407" said:

> Looks like a bad time to come back. No one wants to spend hundreds of their hard earned dollars in a game only to see it possible shut down later on

 

GW2 is a game. It's entertainment. Who spends their hard earned money going to the movies only to complain about it once the movie ends? If people are considering GW2 some kind of financial investment, then I suggest that they consult with a licensed financial analyst and place their money elsewhere.