Guild Wars' Devs Tried to Escape the MMO Branding in 2005

As Guild Wars 3 inches closer to its release, developer ArenaNet has taken a nostalgic look back at the franchise's journey. In a recent news post, the studio shared a range of details about the upcoming game, including a desire to address criticisms that plagued the second entry in the series. Alongside this, ArenaNet also reflected on the original Guild Wars, which was initially branded as a CORPG (cooperative online RPG) in an effort to distance itself from the MMO label.

Despite these efforts, the studio ultimately couldn't escape the MMO branding. ArenaNet explained that the original Guild Wars was fundamentally a game about a small team—whether composed of henchmen, hero NPCs, or other players—tackling challenges in a predominantly instanced environment. Players rarely interacted with others outside of designated social hubs, a design choice that, while unique at the time, ultimately led to the game being classified as an MMORPG.

The Shift in MMO Design Over Two Decades

What's fascinating about ArenaNet's reflection is that many of the features they initially tried to distinguish themselves from are now staples of the MMO genre. For instance, systems that allow players to fill out their party with NPCs—something Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft both now offer—are now standard in modern MMOs. Similarly, the trend of emphasizing soloable content, which Guild Wars 1 leaned into, has become increasingly prevalent in the genre over the years.

This shift was noted by Raph Koster, a veteran game designer who worked on Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, during a recent interview. He observed that open-world sandbox MMOs, the kind Guild Wars 1 aimed to differentiate itself from, have fallen out of favor. Instead, the industry has gravitated toward instanced theme parks with social hubs—despite the fact that many of these games still feature limited player interaction outside of those hubs.

ArenaNet eventually embraced the MMORPG label, acknowledging that the CORPG branding didn't resonate with players. The studio went on to say that it even won multiple MMO-of-the-year awards. In the end, they accepted the community's consensus and leaned into the MMORPG identity, recognizing that their game had delivered a unique take on the genre.

Popular MMOs and Their Appeal

  • Best MMOs: The most massive online experiences.
  • Best Strategy Games: For those who enjoy number crunching and tactical thinking.
  • Best Open World Games: For unlimited exploration and discovery.
  • Best Survival Games: For fans of live crafting and resource management.
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