ArenaNet Releases Guild Wars 2 Design Manifesto

ArenaNet, creators of Guild Wars and the upcoming Guild Wars 2, have put together a manifesto of their game design in Guild Wars 2. The studio put together a video to explain their ideals and philosophies as well as an accompanying blog post on their website.

"It sometimes feels like our industry has thrown the baby out with the bathwater," ArenaNet's Mike O'Brien writes. "When you play an RPG, you want to experience a compelling and memorable storyline. You want your choices to matter. You want your actions to leave their mark on the world. Let’s start demanding those things of MMOs too."

The developers go on to criticize the formulaic, and boring gameplay mechanics of existing MMORPGs and vow to make deliver a proper RPG experience with their upcoming game, which is slated for PC release later this year.