I also play Guild Wars which is developed by ArenaNet but it is published by NCsoft. ArenaNet are definelty not being forced by NCsoft for Guildwars 2 to be released early. ArenaNet was actually the reason for it being delayed for release so they could add the underwater and swimming features to the game. NCsoft I do blame for Aion especially the rampant botting but they definelt have not done that to GuildWars.
Development
Work on
Guild Wars 2 began in 2007.
[12] It was announced March 27, 2007
[1], which was very early in its development cycle, to coincide with the announcement of the final
Guild Wars expansion. ArenaNet wanted to explain to fans of the original
Guild Wars games their plan to stop development of episodic content and begin work on a new game.
[13] ArenaNet were constrained by the decisions and complexity they had made with the first game and so, to do what they wanted with the game, they needed to start over.
[3][10][13]
The development team abandoned the early open alpha and beta testing which they had used for the
Guild Wars game. ArenaNet considered that player expectations for open beta tests of MMORPG had changed, and the beta was no longer used to test the game but to trial a nearly finished game prior to purchase. Beta tests announced for 2008
[14] were cancelled to ensure
Guild Wars 2 had maximum impact and appeal to these players.
[6]
In August 2009, two years after the game was first announced, ArenaNet decided the game had reached a state where they were happy to show it to the public.
[15] A trailer which mixed animated concept art and in-game footage was released at
Gamescom, followed by interviews expanding on the lore of the game world and information about the player races.
In November 2009, NCsoft CEO Jaeho Lee stated the game would most likely not release until 2011, but a closed beta would be made available in 2010.
[16] The 4th Quarter 2009 shareholders notes further supported this when NCSoft CEO stated that "the current development target was the end of 2010 but,
Guild Wars 2 likely won't be released until 2011."
[17]
A playable demo of the game was made available at
Gamescom on 19–22 August 2010
[18],
Penny Arcade Expo (3–5 September 2010)
[18] and
Paris Games Week (27 October-1 November 2010).
[19]
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
