Finally there are new references to the Steam release of Guild Wars 2. This is primarily intended to attract new players to the MMORPG, because existing players are not allowed to play on Steam. We at MeinMMO are looking at whether this can work.
When is GW2 coming to Steam? There is currently no official date for the Steam launch of the MMORPG, but some very good indications of the release are becoming clear. Because on the morning of July 29th, there were significant changes on the Guild Wars 2 Steampage (via Steam).
A reddit user took a closer look at this and actually discovered a release date in the API of the SteamDB website. August 23, 2022 is stated there. But that alone is no reason to name a fixed date and could just be a placeholder (via reddit).
What else suggests this? However, August 23rd would also be the exact 10th anniversary of Guild Wars 2. The MMORPG was released on the same date in 2012. Also, August 23rd is marked as an important day on the official GW2 roadmap, along with the words “Gamescom Happy Hour”.
Now neither developer ArenaNet nor publisher NCSoft is on the official list of exhibitors at gamescom, but steam operator Valve itself is (via gameswirtschaft). All of this could currently stand for an unveiling of the Steam release at gamescom and makes the August 23rd Steam launch very likely.
Even without Steam, Guild Wars 2 was already one of the 5 biggest MMORPGs in Germany in 2021:
See in the video which 5 MMORPGs are the biggest in Germany in 2021 according to Google
Guild Wars 2 is becoming more attractive to new players
Who does the Steam release bring what? The MMORPG primarily wants to become more relevant and noticeable for completely new players. In addition, the developers are currently bringing back the first season of the living world. That’s special, because the practical beginning of the story couldn’t be played until now.
The beginning of the level phase should also be revised and made more beginner-friendly. Together with the Steam release and the switch to Free2Play in August 2015, the MMORPG will be more exciting for newcomers than ever before.
What does it not do? It is also exciting that the Steam launch seems to be aimed only at completely new players. If you already have a Guild Wars 2 account, you won’t be able to play it with the Steam version of the game. A corresponding note can be found on the Steampage of GW2.
In the end, everyone can still play together in the game, but linking the GW2 account and Steam account is probably not possible.
Nevertheless, the active players are also looking forward to the launch on Steam. New players would do the 10 year old MMORPG good. The innovations that come with it, such as the new beginning and the return of the living world season 1, are also well received by the fans.
Will the Steam launch bring new players?
Assessment of the situation: Steam is an enormously popular platform among gaming and MMORPG fans. Other genre representatives such as Final Fantasy XIV, Black Desert and Elder Scrolls Online have already proven that porting titles that are already running to Steam can also bring great success.
This is mainly due to the fact that the entry hurdle for new players is lower. At the same time, the visibility of a title increases thanks to Steam.
However, Guild Wars 2 is now showing its age. You can see the MMORPG’s 10 years in many places and even some gameplay elements are simply not up to date and good after so many years.
It is unlikely that the Steam launch will be the great rebirth of Guild Wars 2. Nevertheless, one can assume that the MMORPG will do better in the long term thanks to the release and the new players on Steam.
What do you think? Do you think the Steam launch is a big opportunity for Guild Wars 2, or do you think the MMORPG will die on the platform? Write it to us in the comments here on MeinMMO.
The fact that GW2 is so popular in Germany follows a trend that MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch took a closer look at: German players love MMORPGs like GW2 and ESO, but don’t like Final Fantasy so much – why is that?