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The strategy behind making the core game free is to engage players in Guild Wars 2 to the point that they will want to continue experiencing this ever-growing game universe by upgrading to Heart of Thorns.ĪrenaNet is currently offering a pre-purchase program for the expansion. Heart of Thorns will follow a model, where major post-release content such as raids and eventually additional Living World episodes will be available free of charge to those who purchase the expansion. As we get ready to release our first expansion for Guild Wars 2, we want to ensure that we keep a simple business model where new players can play the core game for free, while all players need only purchase one thing – Heart of Thorns – to get access to all of our new and future content.” “We believe the buy to play, subscription-free model for MMOs is good for players, and it’s good for developers. It gets a little tricky when a buy-to-play MMO introduces an expansion pack, leaving new players guessing about what they need to buy in order to start playing with their friends. Mike O’Brien, co-founder and president of ArenaNet, said: While the core Guild Wars 2 is now available to play for free, Heart of Thorns will launch as a buy-to-play experience without subscription fees. It has since delivered more than 40 major content updates to players free of charge. Like the company’s previous games, Guild Wars 2 launched as a buy-to-play game without a subscription. The move to free reinforces the studio’s strategy with its MMO business model.
#Guild wars 2 3rd expansion for free#
O’Brien revealed details about how the core version of Guild Wars 2 is now available to play for free starting today.Īs the press release reads, Johanson delivered news aimed at the game’s current player base, highlighting how Heart of Thorns will introduce raids as an all-new form of challenging group content for skilled players and a key part of the studio’s strategy for content updates after the expansion launches.ĪrenaNet kicked off the presentation with a video trailer confirming that Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns will ship in North America and Europe on October 23rd of this year.īy making the core Guild Wars 2 game free, ArenaNet is lifting the final barrier for MMO fans everywhere to play one of the most popular games in the genre and join a player community widely recognised as one of the best in online games. ArenaNet co-founder and president Mike O’Brien and Guild Wars 2 game director Colin Johanson presented to hundreds of fans at a packed theatre in Seattle and many more tuning into the livestream from around the world. ArenaNet today set the stage for the future of Guild Wars 2 and its upcoming expansion, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, at a fan and press conference at PAX Prime.