Today, NCSOFT subsidiary ArenaNet delivered a surprise announcement with Guild Wars Reforged, an updated version of the classic MMORPG that will be released on December 3.
The original game launched in April 2005 and established the studio originally founded by former Blizzard developers. Over the years, Guild Wars was played by more than nine million users, who spent over a billion hours in the fantasy world of Tyria. ArenaNet eventually released the sequel seven years later and has focused mainly on Guild Wars 2 ever since, but a small fanbase remained loyal to the original.
Guild Wars Reforged is being co-developed with 2weeks, a small studio founded last year by former ArenaNet developers. Brandon Dillon, co-founder of 2weeks, said in a statement:
It’s a real treat to revisit the original Guild Wars. Beginning as a teenager, I’ve been involved with this franchise from the very start, collaborating with the original studio founders to create the world of Tyria. Partnering with ArenaNet to update and improve the player experience means the game can continue to be a beloved beacon for fans of multiplayer online RPGs for years to come.
Game Director Stephen Clarke-Willson added:
Even after two decades, we’re still passionate about improving the experience of the original Guild Wars for players. The game has a dedicated group of fans, and with this update to modernize the experience, we hope players new and old will find a reason to continue adventuring through Tyria together.
As mentioned in the headline, Guild Wars Reforged will deliver controller support, make the game Steam Deck verified, and also bring a host of graphic enhancements, such as high-DPI support for modern high-resolution monitors, new HD skill icons, rendering improvements including new antialiasing options, ambient occlusion, enhanced bloom, more font size options for game text, enhanced 3D environmental audio, and a new quest-tracker.
Reforged is free for existing users, though new users can get it via Steam or Windows PC for $19.99 with all the expansions (Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall) included.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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