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[kswiston]

Really? I missed that! Congrats.

To put this more simply,
Wow hit 2 million subscribers roughly 7 months after release, GW2 hit 3 million (sold) in about 4.

They aren't directly comparable. Guild Wars counts units sold (because that's where they get their money). WoW counts active subscriptions. Even after that 7 month period, there would have been a number of people who had purchased the game and subsequently quit playing. Given the 11-12M active subscribers peak for WoW (and its 9 year life), the game must have sold a ridiculous number of base games by this point.

Also, World of Warcraft launched in a market where the biggest non-korean MMOs were sitting at 500-750k active subscribers. People are a lot more open to MMOs currently, so it makes sense that Guild Wars 2 had the opportunity to launch to bigger numbers. They hit 2M almost immediately though, and it took another 4 months to get that next 1M sales. We'll have to see how much the game has grown since then.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

they also stopped selling WoW at points because of server loads. Still good for them though. I played about half an hour of GW2 as a nerco and hated it.

 

[Jira]

they also stopped selling WoW at points because of server loads. Still good for them though. I played about half an hour of GW2 as a nerco and hated it.

ANet did this for GW2 as well, they stopped selling the digital copies of the game from their site for a couple weeks to make sure server stability kept up with demand.

 

[Xiaoki]

No one tracked box sales for PC MMOs when WoW was released 9 years ago so no one has any idea how many copies WoW sold in its first 8 months.

Also, mister Jira oh so conveniently left out this little nugget from the article -

“triangulating against multiple data sources” (which is keep-out-of-the-weeds-speak for “trust our wizard math”)

....yeah


Lastly, if people want to get into a measuring contest between GW2 and WoW then how about that WoW makes more money by itself(still after the subscriber losses) than NCSoft as a whole.

 

[Retro]

Also, mister Jira oh so conveniently left out this little nugget from the article -

He posted a snippet of the article and a link because posting whole articles is frowned upon on GAF.

 

[Phazon]

they also stopped selling WoW at points because of server loads. Still good for them though. I played about half an hour of GW2 as a nerco and hated it.

Necro's are pretty awesome these days. You should take your necro to wvw with a staff. Tons of fun and insane number of hits in a zerg

They are also very good in PvP, my Guardian cries every time I fight against a decent Necromancer.

 

[Run-M-Run]

I'm sorry but doesn't anyone else feel it's a little wrong that you can just have marketers to post threads here?

 

[Orayn]

I'm sorry but doesn't anyone else feel it's a little wrong that you can just have marketers to post threads here?

Liking a game, wanting people to know about it, and posting news about said game is not being a marketer.

 

[Run-M-Run]

Though this guy is directly working for anet..

 

[Hawkian]

Though this guy is directly working for anet..

Do you have any idea how much I wish this were true?

 

[Eknots]

This seems like a very stupid article, WoW took some time to build up, it's the sales over 4-5 years that matter and the subscription model also keeps some people off. The MMO market was already grown to a very very large player base from WoW (I didn't forget EQ, WoW is just undeniably what brought MMORPG into the public eye). Vanilla was not really for casuals and it was always spoken about as only nerds play it etc dedicate your life to it. My point out of all that rambling is big whoop, let's see how it does over the next few years.

 

[Retro]

I'm sorry but doesn't anyone else feel it's a little wrong that you can just have marketers to post threads here?

Kind of a serious accusation to make, do you have any evidence at all to substantiate it?

Doesn't it follow that someone who likes a particular game is also likely to get any news on that game first, and thus be the one to post it? I mean, Strafer posted the Hearthstone Beta thread, the WoW 5.4 Trailer Thread, and the "Dark Below" Rumor thread all within the last four days, but nobody accuses them of being a Blizzard marketer.

 

[Aeana]

Though this guy is directly working for anet..

Attacks on other posters like this without evidence will not do. If you can prove it, by all means do so (to any staff member in private), but derail this thread no further.

 

[Rubius]

I try to stay away from MMO since they usually are all "Go kill X of this slight variation of the monster you just killed X of" and my backloggery is too big for that. But, Guild Wars 2 seem to be pretty good quest wise. Is it a good Solo MMO game with the occasional grouping, or is it a Guild based game?

 

[Ploid 3.0]

The GW2 forum dudes are actually very nice and informative. They are indeed excited about the good news that Anet is doing great, heck I am too. They keep pumping out content and I don't have to pay a subscription. I bought gems for the first time because I felt they deserved something. I didn't really need a new character slot or the bank slot. I'm still trying to fill up my bank especially since they gave us a way to store stuff, that used to take up slots, into a magic inventory that are always on every character you own and it never run out of space.

I try to stay away from MMO since they usually are all "Go kill X of this slight variation of the monster you just killed X of" and my backloggery is too big for that. But, Guild Wars 2 seem to be pretty good quest wise. Is it a good Solo MMO game with the occasional grouping, or is it a Guild based game?

I have been mainly playing solo since I got the game. People just join you when you're doing stuff or you join them. Events I mean. The only time you need people to join your party is for dungeon type stuff. Everything is just organic, if something is worth doing and a lot of people are around you will be joining them in doing said thing.

I was far off in some corner of the world in a max level zone one day soloing a champion on my ranger, then a thief walked by and started fighting it with me. I wasn't pissed because there was no penalty and he actually made the fight easier on me.

Btw there are optional stuff that ask you to kill x amount of mobs and stuff in this game, some missions too. For missions you usually are told to kill all of the enemies, or a complete is triggered when you kill a certain amount of them.

 

[Retro]

I try to stay away from MMO since they usually are all "Go kill X of this slight variation of the monster you just killed X of" and my backloggery is too big for that. But, Guild Wars 2 seem to be pretty good quest wise. Is it a good Solo MMO game with the occasional grouping, or is it a Guild based game?

Either/or; you can wander around the world doing Dynamic Events alone, though running into people and forming informal groups happens all the time as a lot of those DEs chain together. Their presence won't impact you since everyone contributes to a Dynamic Event's progress and there's no mob tagging or any kind of anti-social mechanic like that. The only thing you'll have trouble doing alone are Group Events, for obvious reasons.

Likewise, there are special missions within the world that can only be done with a guild (literally; you have to unlock access to them by spending guild Influence), those are pretty enjoyable but aren't necessary for your enjoyment. The only thing you get for them are Commendations which are used to buy some gear (including an exclusive weapon skin theme). They're mostly fun things like puzzles, bounty hunting and rushes (you are turned into an animal with specific skills and have to complete an obstacle course). The GAFGuild runs missions every Saturday evening, and then has makeups on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I was far off in some corner of the world in a max level zone one day soloing a champion on my ranger, then a thief walked by and started fighting it with me. I wasn't pissed because there was no penalty and he actually made the fight easier on me.

Since events scale, he probably made it slightly harder actually, but having two people makes things so much easier it probably didn't matter. But the rewards most certainly scaled up as well, so you probably got extra Experience, Karma and Gold out of it.

It's funny that for a genre built around social aspects, GW2 is the first to make stranger showing up a good thing. In most other MMOs, someone showing up is a bad thing; they steal your quest mobs, hinder your farming efforts, steal your resource nodes... Those kind of mechanics never made any sense to me, but I guess that's why I drifted from MMO to MMO until GW2 came out.

 

[Jira]

I try to stay away from MMO since they usually are all "Go kill X of this slight variation of the monster you just killed X of" and my backloggery is too big for that. But, Guild Wars 2 seem to be pretty good quest wise. Is it a good Solo MMO game with the occasional grouping, or is it a Guild based game?

You can solo everything just fine dungeons & fractals aside PvE wise. Structured PvP obviously is a group thing but you can jump in solo and WvW you can jump in solo there and just roam with a group at your leisure. There are Guild Missions in the game but it's all inclusive and you just come along with the rest of us.

They're running a trial from the 23rd-25th if you want to give it a shot:

https://register.guildwars2.com/trial?cid=7:5:HomepageBanner:Static:1292x444:Global:40:4:

 

[Rubius]

You can solo everything just fine dungeons & fractals aside PvE wise. Structured PvP obviously is a group thing but you can jump in solo and WvW you can jump in solo there and just roam with a group at your leisure. There are Guild Missions in the game but it's all inclusive and you just come along with the rest of us.

They're running a trial from the 23rd-25th if you want to give it a shot:

https://register.guildwars2.com/trial?cid=7:5:HomepageBanner:Static:1292x444:Global:40:4:

Cant try it, but I will probably buy it. I work 6 month by year in a inuit village with satellite internet. Latency is of 6000 in Path of Exile for example. but it could be a cool game to play some times. Even more that there is no subs.

 

[Jira]

Cant try it, but I will probably buy it. I work 6 month by year in a inuit village with satellite internet. Latency is of 6000 in Path of Exile for example. but it could be a cool game to play some times. Even more that there is no subs.

Ouch, well when/if you do buy it check out greenmangaming or amazon as they usually have it on sale for $36-$40.

 

[Rubius]

Ouch, well when/if you do buy it check out greenmangaming or amazon as they usually have it on sale for $36-$40.

Nice, thanks for the info. I love to have boxed version of my games, so I will check that out.

 

[Usobuko]

Kinda hard to capture Korea and China with their own heavyweights MMO competing against you. Not to mention the Moba craze in these countries.

 

[Retro]

Kinda hard to capture Korea and China with their own heavyweights MMO competing against you.

I wouldn't be so sure; here's a snippet from an interview with Game Director Colin Johanson:

"We did actually just run a Beta in China about a week and a half ago, our very first closed Beta test in China," he said. "On the major website in China that tracks the most anticipated games, Guild Wars 2 is very regularly number one on that list for most anticipated games in China and we're pretty stoked about that since we've only done one tiny closed beta over there so we think the possibilities are pretty huge when we expand the game into other regions as well."

Dunno what that tracking site is, so I can't confirm 100%, but they seem pretty confident it can be done.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

I'm really happy for the games success. Whilst I know it was a let down for a lot of MMORPG vets I can't think of a game where I've had as much fun just exploring the land. I might of only played it for a couple of months but it did a great job emphasising everything I love about MMORPGs and utterly removed the grind. I can't wait to head back in one day and see what new content they've put up.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

Everytime I enter Crown Pavilion it's on overflow.

 

[Pumpkin King]

Everytime I enter Crown Pavilion it's on overflow.

Yep. Today before the daily reset was my first time not in overflow. That farming.

 

[Phazon]

Kind of a serious accusation to make, do you have any evidence at all to substantiate it?

Doesn't it follow that someone who likes a particular game is also likely to get any news on that game first, and thus be the one to post it? I mean, Strafer posted the Hearthstone Beta thread, the WoW 5.4 Trailer Thread, and the "Dark Below" Rumor thread all within the last four days, but nobody accuses them of being a Blizzard marketer.

Attacks on other posters like this without evidence will not do. If you can prove it, by all means do so (to any staff member in private), but derail this thread no further.

For what it's worth, Arenanet was sending this information (fastest selling mmo, 3 mil etc.) to all videogame sites. We got a PR message from them with the info that was givin in the OP

 

[ToyMachine228]

Are there still a lot of people playing GW2? For some reason I recently had a sudden urge to start playing. How hard is it to start your GW2 experience currently?

 

[hythloday]

There are definitely a lot of people playing. Sometimes, you won't see as many people running around in some mid-level areas, because people tend to gravitate towards big world bosses, some 80ish zones, and whatever zone houses the latest Living Story content. I think they've done a good job lately of getting people out to a variety of zones, though.

As far as starting, it's not that bad I think. People in map chat

Spoiler

and the GAF guild coughcough

are usually pretty friendly if newbies have questions.

 

[K.Sabot]

I know Jira and crew aren't Anet, but the thread sure does get a lot smaller when you delete their posts.

Wasn't GW2 supposed to have appealed to the Korean market anyways? I thought it was already hitting it big over there.

 

[Durante]

It's the first MMO I've played for more than 3 months since Dark Age of Camelot. Commercial success is well deserved.

I know Jira and crew aren't Anet, but the thread sure does get a lot smaller when you delete their posts.

Thread about game gets smaller when you delete posts by hardcore fans of game? Flabbergasting

 

[Netrunner2k2]

Though this guy is directly working for anet..

If you are referring to Jira, he does not work for Anet.

Truthfact.

 

[Sophia]

Are there still a lot of people playing GW2? For some reason I recently had a sudden urge to start playing. How hard is it to start your GW2 experience currently?

The Tarnished Coast and Stormbluff Isle servers are always packed, and the daily objectives mean you will always find players in whatever zone is picked for that day.

Give it a shot. GAF guild can answer any questions you have and people in map chat are actually pretty friendly compared to most MMORPGs.

 

[K.Sabot]

It's the first MMO I've played for more than 3 months since Dark Age of Camelot. Commercial success is well deserved.

Thread about game gets smaller when you delete posts by hardcore fans of game? Flabbergasting

This is specific to the leaders of the GAF guild though, and it permeates through about every GW2 thread that isn't in Community.

They're probably just stoked to have the only successful GAF MMO guild haha. That guild rocked.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I hate GW2 and everything it stands for.

 

[Netrunner2k2]

I hate GW2 and everything it stands for.

Truth, justice, and the American way?

 

[Northeastmonk]

Truth, justice, and the American way?

I've had better feelings with the flu than I've had with GW2.

 

[Iadien]

To put this more simply,
Wow hit 2 million subscribers roughly 7 months after release, GW2 hit 3 million (sold) in about 4.

True, but WoW launched when MMOs were still a huge niche with a subscription. Imagine WoW 2 launching today and being B2P like GW2...

 

[Trey]

True, but WoW launched when MMOs were still a huge niche with a subscription. Imagine WoW 2 launching today and being B2P like GW2...

It would be formidable. Whatever Blizzard churns out next will be significant. I heard that Titan was in development hell though.

 

[SargerusBR]

Kudos for A-net, but GW2 just wasn't for me, i played a Warrior on launch until level 35-40 and the game just felt boring, the lore was unappeling and the way characters move feels weird.

But Anet was very kind for allowing players to refund digital copies of the game several weeks after the launch.

 

[Cels]

I hate GW2 and everything it stands for.

what does it stand for exactly?

 

[Retro]

Wasn't GW2 supposed to have appealed to the Korean market anyways? I thought it was already hitting it big over there.

I seem to remember reading an article after the first Chinese Beta that Korean players were upset the game was launching there first. Can't seem to find it now, except quoted on a bunch of obvious goldseller sites I'm not about to visit. The game has Korean text and Stormbluff Isle was home to a large Korean WvW guild (WarMachine) before they decided to get out of Tier 1.

This is specific to the leaders of the GAF guild though, and it permeates through about every GW2 thread that isn't in Community.

They're probably just stoked to have the only successful GAF MMO guild haha. That guild rocked.

I'll address your second comment first: The success of the GW2 GAFGuild has a lot to do with the nature of the game itself. First off, the game doesn't force you to pick who you play with. You can guest to any server in your region, so players aren't forced to pay for transfers (or start from scratch on a new one), abandoning their existing friends. You can also belong to multiple guilds, so if you want something a little more focused or hardcore than our very casual guild, you don't have to drop one or the other.

They're also very careful to create content that doesn't have a hard cap on the number of players who can participate. Other than dungeons, which have a 5-person cap for obvious reasons, any number of players can show up to Guild Missions. That means there's never any internal politics or drama over raid slots, who's in good with the right officers, etc.

Having said that though, the guild leadership, officers and general members are a great group of people who remain enthusiastic and eternally helpful. The atmosphere is overwhelmingly positive and helpful, there's none of the nasty backstabbing or forming of cliques like you get in most games. They've donated in-game gold to buy transfers for total strangers to migrate from EU servers to North America (guesting doesn't work internationally), donated to keep the guild's Mumble server active, and have a really good reputation on the server. They're a great group of people and it's been an honor to be a part of their community.

So to address your first comment, now, the reason you see the same folks from the GAFGuild community so active is simple; passion. It's a great game with a great community that doesn't deserve the hate it routinely receives on GAF. Not every game is going to appeal to every person, but that doesn't mean folks need to be bitter about the success of something they don't care for...

 

[curlyfriski]

It's crazy how hyped I was about this game and how indifferent to it I am now.

 

[Retro]

I hate GW2 and everything it stands for.

what does it stand for exactly?

GW2? Guild Wars 2, obviously

 

[Westlo]

It lost almost 40% of it's userbase between 2010 and now.

And how many of the 3-4 million accounts for gw2 have been inactive for months on end? I bet TOR hit 2 million quicker than WoW did as well, kinda meaningless.

 

[Hawkian]

And how many of the 3-4 million accounts for gw2 have been inactive for months on end? I bet TOR hit 2 million quicker than WoW did as well, kinda meaningless.

It did. TOR was the "fastest selling MMO" too for a while, then GW2. Surely, at some point, something will be next.

I don't know how many accounts have been inactive for months on end but it doesn't much matter. I assure you it's doing rather well

 

[Pumpkin King]

Guild Wars 2 is my first MMO, I cannot speak for, nor will I disrespect any MMO that has came before GW2.

Whatever the numbers may be, for any game for that matter, can be skewed in favor for or against. What I can say, GW2 is my first MMO. This game has not disappointed. The world, the community, especially GAF guild are the best that I have personally seen in my (old man) 25 years of gaming. Is GW2 the GOAT? Of course not. But it is great.

WoW vs GW2? Or other MMO's? I am not one to compare. But GW2 has got me hooked to the genre. If GW2 isn't your style, that's fine, go enjoy the game that is your favorite. But this game is totally my style. I will not be someone who bashes a different game because it had this, or doesn't have that.

 

[Fjordson]

And how many of the 3-4 million accounts for gw2 have been inactive for months on end? I bet TOR hit 2 million quicker than WoW did as well, kinda meaningless.

Yup.

I got bored of GW 2 rather quickly. Didn't do much for me, though I know a surprisingly large number of people that are still into it so, at least anecdotally, it seems like a very healthy game.

 

[Retro]

And how many of the 3-4 million accounts for gw2 have been inactive for months on end? I bet TOR hit 2 million quicker than WoW did as well, kinda meaningless.

Active accounts doesn't really matter since the game isn't subscription based; people can make the initial purchase, play for a few months (which a lot of people think is enough for their money's worth) and check in every few months for something new. ArenaNet doesn't publish it's numbers (that seems to be the only thing they're not transparent on), but as we get closer to the anniversary I wouldn't be surprised if they capped off the game's first year with some details.

I will say this though; they're confident enough with their financial situation to announce they have no plans for an expansion, which always boosts a game's population and generates more sales (since everyone who plays has to buy it). Expansions are pretty much the only assured cash-grab in MMOs; the fact that they're not even considering one at this point is pretty telling.

 

[Ikuu]

And how many of the 3-4 million accounts for gw2 have been inactive for months on end? I bet TOR hit 2 million quicker than WoW did as well, kinda meaningless.

Of the 20 or so people I know who bought the game, not a single person was playing after a month.

 

[UnrealEck]

Three million in 9 months eh? The same amount World of Warcraft's third expansion set Cataclysm sold in just one day.