Originally Posted by
Rife
Good point. I think that GW2 is going to have a much larger potential market than a conventional MMO though. No subscription fee brings in many gamers who refuse to pay for a game past buying the box and people who simply cannot afford it. Removal of the 'gear treadmill' will also open up the games appeal to people who don't have hundreds of hours to plough into a game to stay up to date. I also wouldn't underestimate the huge market pull that a truly competitive esport can bring in. Players will be able to play on a truly even playing field with regard to gear without needing to grind out weeks of matches to get geared. Finally, removal of the hardcore raiding schedule will bring even more players in. Those guys who like the game but don't like the raiding or don't have the time etc. The smaller groups should encourage friends to play together rather than joining guilds for the sole purpose of participating in endgame content.
I think the word of mouth buzz that will accompany this will be huge. There are simply too many drawbacks to other MMO's to easily talk your friends into trying an MMO like WoW. "Hey dude, come play WoW, buy the game, get a subscription, level to X so you can quest/raid with me, then keep playing so you can keep up and lets hope it's fun. Try not to level faster/slower than me or play much when I'm not around etc". There is simply too many hoops to jump through.
Wheras GW2 would be something along the lines of "Hey dude, come play GW2, buy the game, log in and I'll come quest with you, we can do PvP if you want too, or hit up that dynamic event. You can play whenever and do whatever and no matter what we can still play the same things together. Even if you don't have much time now or have a sporadic schedule that's fine too because you won't be at a disadvantage or anything for not raiding 9/12 hours a week, but you might miss out on some of this badass gear I have."
A truly casual-friendly MMO that doesn't benefit one kind of player at the expense of the other kind (hardcore vs casual).
/tangent end