Guild Wars 2 Game Director Discusses Recent Expansion and Previews Upcoming Developments

Josh Davis, the Game Director for Guild Wars 2, recently provided an overview of the game’s current expansion, Secrets of the Obscure, and offered a glimpse into future plans in a post on the official game website.

Initiated over a year ago, SotO represented a new direction for the game, transitioning from the “Living World” model to an annual expansion format. This strategic shift was designed to offer more consistent content updates, improve support for the game’s various systems, and enhance work-life balance for the development team at ArenaNet.

With the completion of SotO, Davis shared several takeaways from the expansion’s cycle. He noted the expansion’s narrative aimed to delve into richer stories centered around new characters and their relationships. However, the complexity of the narrative and the number of new characters introduced were more extensive than what could be effectively managed within an annual expansion timeline, affecting the depth of character interactions and leaving some story arcs underdeveloped.

The expansion also brought new maps, such as Amnytas and the Skywatch Archipelago, introduced at launch, and Inner Nayos, rolled out in stages through subsequent updates. Feedback on the staggered release of the Inner Nayos map has led to a revised strategy for future expansions, aiming for a more cohesive deployment of new maps.

Davis also addressed the game’s feature development, emphasizing the importance of maintaining and updating existing systems to avoid unnecessary complexity. He pointed out efforts to refine these systems in SotO, with improvements aimed at enhancing the player experience.

The post concluded with a preview of the next expansion, hinting at a more grounded narrative set in a new region of Tyria and focusing on local threats. This approach aims to build on story elements introduced in SotO while addressing community feedback.