After practically 20 years working at Guild Wars 2 builders ArenaNet, president and co-founder Mike O’Brien has packed his luggage. It’s been an excellent run, carving out a secure area of interest within the fiercely contested MMORPG area, however earlier this week O’Brien gave his fond farewells to the studio he helped discovered. It’s time to intention smaller and make much less demanding games with pals.
Handling of Guild Wars had already been handed on to game director Mike Zadorojny when O’Brien stepped again in 2017. With the president’s departure, it seems like Zadorojny can be taking up much more management of each the corporate and their flagship MMO. Whether which means he’ll be taking up the mantle of president or not is presently not know.
“I am confident that ArenaNet and Guild Wars 2 are in good hands,” O’Brien stated. “[Zadorojny] is a true champion of the Guild Wars franchise and of this studio’s values; he is the best person to continue carrying the torch at the company.”
Following O’Brien’s farewells, Zadorojny’s assertion merely thanked his boss for his or her time collectively. He reassured followers that Guild Wars 2 continues to be going sturdy, with loads to sit up for with upcoming chapters within the Icebrook Saga arc.
Last week, sources informed Kotaku that O’Brien was one in every of eight builders getting ready to go away ArenaNet. Collectively, it sounds just like the lot of them had been working collectively on the early improvement of a brand new Guild Wars venture. Whether that was a 3rd mainline MMORPG or one thing else completely is unknown.
Another supply backed up that declare, suggesting to Kotaku that whereas a Guild Wars three had but to be greenlit internally, O’Brien’s crew might have been laying the groundwork for an MMO threequel.
O’Brien is heading off to begin a brand new studio with a few of his fellow departees. He doesn’t appear in any rush to tackle the MMO area once more, saying: “We’ll go back to the beginning and make small games again.” If his alleged Guild Wars experiments existed in any type at ArenaNet, don’t anticipate traces of them to hold over into his new groove.
