At the end of February, Guild Wars 2 released End of Dragons, its third full expansion pack. A few weeks later, Guild Wars 2 has put out a “State of the Game” address featuring tons of new information, including a roadmap for a planned Steam release.
The lengthy press release was the first of many, according to ArenaNet. Besides the news of Steam integration, it also spoke of game balance, upcoming events, and future content, including a fourth expansion pack and a re-launch of Living World Season 1.
Guild Wars 2 does not have a precise date for its Steam release, but it wants to have it before the end of the year. “You only get to launch on steam once,” ArenaNet said, “we want to make sure we do it right.” In addition to ensuring the Steam integration goes without flaws, Guild Wars 2 is also moving towards using DirectX11 as the default graphics setting for users, which it seeks to have in place before heading to Steam.
Despite only getting to launch on Steam once, Guild Wars 2 has announced its Steam launch twice. In August of 2020, ArenaNet announced its plans for Steam integration alongside End of Dragons. However, due to complications because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guild Wars 2 was forced to suspend its plans for Steam to focus on the conclusion of the Icebrood Saga Living World season and the End of Dragons expansion. Nearly two years later, however, ArenaNet finally has the opportunity to follow through with its Steam launch.
Fans are excited Guild Wars 2 is coming to Steam. It is the most popular gaming platform on the market, and being available there will cause its already-expanding population to grow even further. According to the press release, the number of active Guild Wars 2 players have doubled in the last 3 years. Players can only benefit if Guild Wars 2 grows even further.
Many fans had wondered if Guild Wars 2 would ever get to launch on Steam as it wanted and were surprised to see the chance come again after only a couple of years. That said, unforeseen factors could still complicate things again. Though Guild Wars 2 is experiencing unprecedented success with End of Dragons, the gaming industry is only just recovering from the uncertain place it has been since the pandemic began. For the time being, Guild Wars 2 players will have to hope no more unexpected complications force ArenaNet to postpone its plans for Steam again.
Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons is available now for PC.
Source: Guild Wars 2