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Flameseeker Chronicles: Afterparty
Boy, did I ever blow it. I've been on a streak of correct predictions for months now, but either I'm losing my touch or my insight only applies to Guild Wars 2. I've been convinced for over a month that the sixth anniversary of Guild Wars would bring us Winds of Change, and I had my heart set on a Commando minipet. See? I missed the mark so far that I wasn't even on the same continent! Well, there's plenty to talk about this week as we look back on the anniversary celebration. I want to touch on two of the biggest changes, so read on past the break while I pick up the pieces of my poor broken hopes for that mini-Commando.
Celebrate six years of Guild Wars with prizes and an exclusive update interview
Let the celebration begin! Guild Wars is six years old, and as promised earlier this morning, ArenaNet has handed out the party hats and kicked off the festivities. Here at Massively we've got plenty of party treats for you! Not only do we have the full scoop on the anniversary update, but we chatted with Guild Wars Live Team members John Stumme and Matthew Moore about the creation of the event. Finally, we've got a special Livestream look at the new content along with a pile of prizes for Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 fans, so follow along after the jump for all the details!
Sixth anniversary bringing big changes to Guild Wars
The sixth anniversary of Guild Wars is here, and ArenaNet is celebrating in a big way with an update today. This sixth anniversary brings new content, some surprising new birthday tonics, and some big changes to PvP. That last item on the list comes courtesy of the Lunatic Court members and their efforts to free Mad King Thorn last Halloween. "While these events have long passed, the aftereffect of this plot has caused instability to seep into the land causing fluctuations. This Flux will come and go monthly and cause alterations to PvP that will encourage players to alter their playing style in order to take advantage of the current Flux." The update coming later today offers fans plenty of other changes and upgrades as well. Players will have new challenges in the form of hard mode quests, a new look to the game with optional high-resolution town textures, and an overhauled friends list. If you're mutual friends with another player, you'll be able to see what map he or she is currently in. Finally, ArenaNet is celebrating six years with six weeks of sales -- starting today, a different item will be on sale in the NCsoft store every week. The sales will be updated every Thursday at noon PDT. Massively has joined in the party too! We'll be bringing you even more news on the celebration events, an exclusive interview with two members of the Live Team, a chance to win some Guild Wars prizes, and maybe even a few more surprises! You'll want to keep a very close eye on the site, our Twitter feed, our Facebook page, and our forums so you don't miss anything!
Flameseeker Chronicles: Happy birthday, Tyria
I've spent a lot of time this month looking over the past five years of Guild Wars, reading and writing about where the game has been, how far it's come, and where it's going. All of this -- very enjoyable -- time was spent preparing for the fifth birthday celebration, of course. Now that the party's underway, the fifth year miniatures have been revealed, and half the population of Tyria -- including me -- is afking the rings, there's time to take a breather and revisit the past five years. From launch day in April of 2005 to the War in Kryta campaign today, Guild Wars has come a long way in five years. Last week we talked with some members of the Guild Wars community and looked back at their five years of playtime. It seemed only fitting to take a peek this week at the game side and explore five years of partying, so follow along after the jump as we revisit the ghosts of parties past!
Guild Wars hits the 6 million milestone
Just in time for their fourth anniversary celebrations, ArenaNet have announced that Guild Wars has sold over six million copies. Coincidence? We think not but it's still a remarkable milestone for this popular MMO. Remember that market leader World of Warcraft has 11.5 million players worldwide and is subscription based. Guild Wars meanwhile, is free-to-play (plus box costs) and only a few months younger than WoW.ArenaNet are understandably chuffed about the whole thing, particularly their studio head, Mike O'Brien: "We are humbled by how gamers have responded to Guild Wars over the past four years, and we are proud that the game and its community have helped to continually shape, define, and expand the genre. Our subscription-free business model has proven to be a big hit with gamers, bringing an enormous and diverse online community to the game."
