So When Can We Expect a Path Forward Post?

[lokh.2695]

Short answer: Never, we get information one maybe two weeks in advance if anything.

 

A longer answer: ANet used to give out dates or tell us what they were working on but they never got good credit for it. Basically when they announced that "feature X is coming to GW2 on date Y", the community got one part overhyped and one part all doom and gloom over nothing of signifiance for month in advance leading to disapointment for everyone. Also god forbid feature X was delayed for a day or a week, the forums would light up with entitled "Feature X when?!?!?!?!?!?!?!", "Why did Anet lie to us about feautre X?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" or "If feature X is delayed any further I will delete the game and I'm a whale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" threads. This leads, over the years but especially between the release of the two expansions to a policy of "We're telling you something is ready when it's ready and we'll release it shortly after, fixing afterwards what might have been broken on the way". This policy is still in place and, as sad as it might be, may be the better approach considering the community of "unsatisfied customers" we see not just with this game but basically everywhere on ze interwebs. Also, the community, or at least a very vocal minority of it, seems to confuse a statement like "we're looking into X" with something like "we're promissing you that X will come out next week and it will be exctly what you imagine it to be like". Of course this leads to even harsher and unjustified backlash when feature X comes out and it's not able to cater to each and everyones expections, which is impossible for any given feature, no feature can please everyones individual hopes and dreams about it. ANet has become very silent, and in times like these, where we hear about layoffs and such, this can feel very unsatisfying to the customer. After all, we've sunken many hours of the past 6 years into this game and we're attached to it. But ANet wasn't like that from the beginning and I think one of the main reasons they changed was because of community backlashes. Just look at the forums today, people love this game and they love it enough to create thread after thread with "great Ideas to save the game", "Go sub based", "Sell [enter whatever popculture referenced outifit/gimmik floats your boat here] on the gemshop, everybody wants it and it will save the farm...errr game". Just imagine how these people would react if ANet still went out there telling people what they're working on and giving out ETAs. These players are so attached to the game that they think they know best and that their ideas are the most reasonable thing to do. Can you imagine how the forums would light up if ANet announced something that's not like what their great idea is? We all would love to know what's going on and we'd love to know exactly when the next expansion, the next release will come out and what will be in it. But I think internet communities like these are just not capable of handling that information in a productive manner. Sad but true I guess. Some companies work around this by producing the most vague marketing speak possible, but I'd rather have no information than empty corporate speak. I'd rather have them suprise me a week or two in advance than telling us "We have great features planned for the future. It will be awesome, trust me" months beforehand.

[Yargesh.4965]

> @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:

> Just their claims? Really, if you think the statements are not true, why associate with the studio, at all. Seems a bit odd.

> And, if the studio did offer a 'path forward' statement, surely it would not be believed, so why ask for one?

 

She has a very valid point here. Several forum posters have been on for years about being lied to, not getting what they so rightly deserve etc. Then asking for a home visit with cake and cookies for them to lay out future plans and wait for divine approval is a little bit weird but par for the course.

[phs.6089]

I would reallily ike Anet to start trowing bones, once in a blue moon. No need to spoilers, no promises.

Just a simple 'hello Tyria, we are fine' with some cutscene from episode. Will give WoodenPotato material for 2.40 minutes analyses and to rest of us 2-3 weeks of peace.

[Bloodstealer.5978]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:

> > Also, I've yet to see/hear the statement that future expansions are canceled. Only that we would be offered Season 5 directly after Season 4.

>

> There was a [link](https://www.mmorpg.com/guild-wars-2/columns/guild-wars-2-more-than-just-a-damage-number-1000013464 "link") posted on how, in late 2018, Mike Z stated that the game would "not get a third expansion, at least not anytime soon." So there is reason to ask _the_ question.

 

Yeah I read that and it does raise more questions than answers for sure.

GW2 and GW1 before are very player friendly when put next to other MMO's.

There are things I think ANET really missed out on in terms of revenue generation within GW2.. one prime example was Guild Halls and Home Instances

I look at other examples of examples of these systems in other MMO's and it really is a headscratcher why in a game they want to have play on players cosmetic ego's they did not put a lot more energy into creating this side of the game.

I look for example at SWTOR, a gear stat heavy MMO that saw there was an opening to explore players desire to create something of their own, to make it look better than others, to invite others to peruse their efforts and really ignite creativity amongst the player base, something that is really stunted within GW2's punitive effort.. and then of course it became abandoned.

They scribing profession that was implemented alongside is simply to restrictive for many and from a guild perspective does not push more than 1 or 2 players to having to put themselves through the levelling up process anyways.. but to utilise it for player housing would of made Scribe much more lucrative for players especially if decos could then be crafted for selling.

I think the initial mistake for GH's was there was no actual "cost" to acquiring one.. perhaps they could of worked on a guild member donation system, just like they have for upgrades, but centred around players gems contributions, then once that has been fulfilled then engage the GH quest.

There were so many missed opportunities with systems like Home instance/GH's and more lately Suns Refuge, it beggars belief they just let them fall by the wayside.. I mean the first thing that came to mind was.. gemstore would have a whole new range of cosmetics it could throw at us.

If long term expansions were going to be pulled, I wonder if that had a hand in the departure of people like CJ, perhaps the internals were already in turmoil a few years back after HoT.

 

Personally I like LS and I think it was a mistake to just walk away from bringing Scarlets War and turning it into a 30second slideshow for new players or players like me that enjoy replaying story on alts from time to time. But LS is content filler imo and I do fear if LS is their only plan beyond LS5 then it wont be anough to compete with other studio's and certainly allow mobile to take more away from GW2.

Layoffs are never nice, but neither are they an indication ANET are in trouble or that GW2 is not profitable, it just had additional costs that were necessary at the time but could not longer be sustained by NC Soft as their ageing portfolio is declining in revenue.. it sucks but that is business and cutting costs to keep profitability at the levels they demand is a thing.

As I said previously, I am sure when the dust settles and ANET have been afforded some time to regather their thoughts, refocus on their goals they will put some snippitts of info out to us as to their roadmap.. it just might not be what we all want or hope for so then we all have a choice to make, but now is probably not the right time.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"phs.6089" said:

> Just a simple 'hello Tyria, we are fine' with some cutscene from episode.

 

That would not be enough and isn't what most people on here are waiting for. We want a straight out statement on future expansions and whether they are or will start working on one in the near future.

 

 

[AlexxxDelta.1806]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"phs.6089" said:

> > Just a simple 'hello Tyria, we are fine' with some cutscene from episode.

>

> That would not be enough and isn't what most people on here are waiting for. We want a straight out statement on future expansions and whether they are or will start working on one in the near future.

>

>

 

They have pretty much confirmed they won't be working on an expansion in the near future. And after the recent changes I doubt they have formulated a long term plan yet although that's just a guess. If they come out and say "hey, we don't know when we 'll do another expansion, if we even do one" they will loose a considerable portion of the playerbase who are "expansion purists". That would send the game to a downwards spiral so not giving out a straight out statement is a smart move on their part.