Photics.com

Issue #36 of – The Guild Standard – is dated June 2010. The name has changed but the theme is the same. It’s a Guild Wars electronic magazine. It could also be called a fanzine. This issue reviews much of the recent news that has been released about Guild Wars 2. This includes: dynamic events, personal storylines, professions, skill slots and upcoming conventions. The issue also presents a graphic comparison between an old Grawl and a new Grawl. Issue #36 is available as a PDF download, or you can continue reading to view the standard web version.

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Not too long ago, I was in Gunnar’s Hold. That’s nothing new. I’m there a lot. What was unusual was the dialogue. The outpost was filled with conversation about Guild Wars 2. Some of it was negative. If I remember correctly, I saw the word “Vaporware” used to describe the sequel. Who knows? Maybe GW2 will join Duke Nukem in a series of indefinite postponements. But a quick glance of the ArenaNet job listings makes me highly skeptical of such a possibility. Just last week, two new “contract” jobs were posted… Character Artist and Junior Writer/Editor. Not only is this an excellent opportunity for an aspiring game developer, this is reassurance that ArenaNet is working hard on the sequel.

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As expected, Guild Wars 2 is not going to be released anytime soon. NCsoft released their third quarter (2009) report. While ArenaNet might be secretive about their project, their parent company has shareholders to answer to. Historically, the Earning Releases from NCsoft have revealed many secrets. But with this report, I had to dig a little deeper. The pretty PDF didn’t contain the information I was looking for. Instead, I had to listen to a recording of the English Conference Call. At the 21:00 minute mark, the fate of Guild Wars was revealed. It’s not going to be released this year… not even next year… but “probably sometime year 2011.”

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Things may be busy in Photics.com land, but I’m still taking some time out to spy on ArenaNet. They’re still quietly hiring more people. They’re no doubt working on Guild Wars 2. Yet, how close are they? The wall of silence that ArenaNet has built is not impenetrable. There are obvious weak points. Sometimes NCsoft, the parent company, releases information ahead of ArenaNet. But there is another source of information… retailers. This is where the money comes from and they require a heads up.

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It’s pretty obvious that Guild Wars 2 is starting to warm up. After years of silence, ArenaNet is starting to let the light shine on a project that was once shrouded in secrecy. But there are still many hidden truths in the land of Bellevue. What are they? Perhaps you can join their team and find out for yourself. ArenaNet is hiring a Quality Assurance Tester. Pity, that the job doesn’t seem allow telecommuting.

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With Tabula Rasa’s lukewarm launch, Guild Wars in slumber and other NCsoft games struggling to expand, sales numbers are 3% down. Yet, NCsoft managed to report a 14% increase in operating profit vs. the previous year. In a conference call for investors, tremendous insight to NCsoft’s strategy was revealed.

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