chris-lye
Latest
Guild Wars 2's first birthday by the numbers: 3.5M sold, 460K peak concurrent
Today Guild Wars 2 celebrates the first anniversary of its official launch day. On the one hand, it's hard to believe it's been a year already. On the other hand, the game has seen so many changes and content updates that my adventures in Tyria today don't resemble what they were like this time last year. According to the anniversary blog post just released by ArenaNet's president, Mike O'Brien, my experience is exactly what the team is aiming for: "I think the real mark of a success of an online world is how that world grows and evolves, and the extent to which players can take the world and make it their own," he writes. In addition to the blog post, ArenaNet has released a fancy infographic, announced a special anniversary bash, and answered a few of our questions via press conference. Read on!
ArenaNet's Chris Lye talks about the impending death of the subscription model
In a recent interview, ArenaNet's global brand manager Chris Lye sat down and talked about the future of payment models in MMORPGs. Lye advised up-and-coming businesses to avoid the assumption that the subscription model is the best as that model is past its prime and on the decline. Guild Wars 2, set to launch on August 28th, adheres to the "pay to own" model, in which players simply make a one-time purchase of the box in order to play the full game. Lye remarks that he understands why developers wouldn't want to add the risk of trying a new business model on top of the risk of developing an MMO. However, he believes that "any developer who wants to be successful in today's market needs to take a really hard look and say 'Do we really want to use a subscription, is that the best thing for this game?' In many cases I don't think it is." The subscriptionless model, however, isn't without possible drawbacks. Lye acknowledged that ArenaNet has some concerns about whether the community will be more difficult to police due to the sheer numbers of players.
ArenaNet: Guild Wars 2 a 'reaction' to sluggish MMO design
Do you believe that the MMO genre has been stuck in a rut over the past few years? So does Christopher Lye, the global brand director for ArenaNet, who publicly denounced the post-World of Warcraft trend in the industry as stagnant. In an interview with Gamasutra, Lye stated that Guild Wars 2 is walking the walk when it comes to genuinely challenging the status quo in the industry. "Honestly, I think the problem is that there's been a lack of change in MMO design and that Guild Wars 2 is a reaction to that," he said. "People will call this risky, but we think it's riskier just to churn out the same MMO that everyone has played before." Lye pointed to Guild Wars 2's scaling dynamic event system and its action combat as examples of how ArenaNet is forging its own path. Observing that player consumption of content is "virtually insatiable," Lye said that the team has developed tools to allow it to implement changes and additions to dynamic events in hours, not weeks. Is this industry stagnation coming to an end? Lye says yes: "We're finally seeing a point where companies realize that they're not going to create the next great MMO by just copying what's come before."
Gamescom 2011: Guild Wars 2 shows off 40 minutes of gameplay
Hey Guild Wars 2 fans, bummed that you're not at Gamescom right now getting your paws, claws, or ferns on the game? We have the next best thing: nearly 40 minutes of video footage for you to digest. On the Gamescom floor, ArenaNet's Chris Lye took time to walk Wartower.de through the full Guild Wars 2 demo for the event. During the tour, he shows us character customization, the Asura, and the Charr starting experience, capping it off with a giant dragon boss encounter. So what's Lye looking forward to playing the most when the game goes live? "I've already found it: the Asura Thief. I love the size, I love the animations on the Asura, and I love how great they are as Thieves." Grab some popcorn and settle in for the full video after the jump!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Feast or famine
Wow! I've joked to other Massively staffers that some weeks I really struggle to find content for Flameseeker Chronicles, while other weeks I struggle simply to stay ahead of the information avalanche. That has never held truer than it has this weekend. I had planned to cover the huge Guild Wars update this week, then focus on the Guild Wars 2 Thief next week after its reveal at PAX. Thanks to an information leak on the Thief, ArenaNet was forced to hastily rework the release schedule and lift the embargo on the class. We'll be getting much more information on the Thief all this week, but for now we've got a pretty good first look, so I'll give both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 equal time. We've got a lot to talk about, so let's get started. Hit the jump and let's see what's going on in Tyria!
An ArenaNet retrospective: "We're not a video game company, we're a community building company"
"I don't think I've seen a studio more passionate about its work." Massively contributing editor Larry Everett made this comment regarding ArenaNet in our recent Staff Choice Awards, and his timing couldn't have been better. ArenaNet has begun 2011 in a big way with the ArenaNet retrospective. The 15-minute video is a trip back in time to the earliest days of ArenaNet and Guild Wars, but it doesn't stop there. Over 20 ArenaNet team members give their perspectives on where the company has been, where it's going, the company's take on Guild Wars 2, and what makes it great. If you loved the Manifesto video, you're likely going to find this one an even bigger treat. Follow along after the jump to see the ArenaNet retrospective video and Massively's take on it.
ArenaNet announces first hands-on demo of Guild Wars 2
Convention season is well underway, but we've not seen a lot of ArenaNet on the convention floors this year. That's about to change, as ArenaNet has announced its plans for upcoming conventions -- as well as some extremely exciting news. Global Brand Director Chris Lye penned the latest blog post, and began by confirming that ArenaNet will not be at E3 this year. It's a great convention, but as he pointed out, it's "anti-fan," and ArenaNet is focusing on the fans at this point in time. So where will they be? You'll find ArenaNet at the San Diego Comic-Con, gamescom in Germany, and of course PAX Prime in Seattle. In the middle of all this, Chris dropped some extremely exciting news: "This is the big one folks! I'm happy to announce that we will unveil the first public hands-on demo of Guild Wars 2 at gamescom in Cologne, Germany! If you want to be the first in your guild to play GW2 (and you're in Europe), this is the show to attend." There will be hands-on demo stations at PAX in Seattle as well, so if you've been considering going to either of these, the first real look at Guild Wars 2 gameplay should be more than enough to tip the scales.
