Poll: GW2 vs WoW, who will win?

[migo]

It depends on how you define win or lose. Blizzard has a very loyal fanbase, and the type of player to play WoW is probably the type to not play much else or look elsewhere (it's not like they could afford to buy anything else with the subscription fee anyway). So really, Blizzard only loses subscribers when they get bored, not when another game gets released.

As such, at most Guild Wars 2 could get enough of a following that it's the preferred choice over World of Warcraft for people choosing an MMORPG to get into, and World of Warcraft won't lose as a result, but if Guild Wars 2 consistently brings in new players then that's a win for it.

Also, keep in mind the different revenue models. The more people picking up the game, the more money ArenaNet makes, whereas the more people sticking to the game, the more money Blizzard makes. Blizzard can win by keeping its userbase steady, or slowly climbing up to 13 million and then 14 million users. Guild Wars 2 could win by shipping 10 million copies in the first year (although that's probably stretching it).

This might seem like I'm calling it a tie, but it's not necessarily that either, because we won't really be able to tell. GW2 is doing a good transition from GW, so it'll probably be the first sequel MMORPG to be successful, but WoW has way too much inertia to be knocked off.

 

[StormShaun]

Well in time WoW will die, and that is true but GW is pretty good it may last a while, around ten years, but WoW will go away soon and FINALLY......gg MMOs you had a good run but ya got to go and make room for actual RPGS!!!!

 

[Sarah Frazier]

WoW is huge and old. It became popular because it was easy and has gotten easier over time to cater to newer gamers who lack the time to plow to the good parts at the end, or the initiative to research how to get through a puzzle or tricks used by a boss. it is getting old, however, and very little has changed in terms of looks other than adding more floating glowing crystals or Steampunk gizmos.

GW2 will never topple WoW, nor will any game until the million or so people who have max-level characters covered head to toe with epics are willing to abandon all the time spent getting there. How likely is that to happen?

I say it will be a tie. WoW will keep plugging along and GW2 will end up with its own crowd of fanboys/girls. There will be some bashing between the two, but that happens in every game.

 

[weker]

its more like GW2 VS Rift
Rift has already hurt wow so guild war 2 is just another nail as well as the other 10 mmos this decade.

 

[OldRat]

Looking at the line of so-called "WoW killers", each and every one supposedly THE thing that was totally different and going to murderize the king of the heap... yeah. I don't think anything will change anytime soon.

 

[Shadowsafter]

1st of all your criticism against wow--every goddamn MMO does that, secondly WOW is starting at 12 million money-shitting subscribers, guild wars is starting with two fat guys and the one person who understands their lore.

 

[shiaramoon]

The only thing that can kill WoW is WoW. WoW would have to seriously tick off it's fan base before they'll look to another mmo, especially since it's more likely than not that WoW will eventually incorporate things that other mmos have done into itself and do them better. I'm sorry, but that's the way it's been thus far.

I do, however, believe that other mmos can exist along side it, otherwise Guild Wars wouldn't still be around. It's just that WoW is really really good at what it does, plain and simple. The only mmo that I could see truly rivaling WoW in subscription numbers is something that is totally different from WoW, DC Universe Online is a good example, but it's just a matter of time before they come out with Call of Duty/ Halo MMO FPS.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

If pressed into a corner I would say Guild Wars 2, it looks sweet, they are trying out new things for the MMO genre. GW2 looks like a step forward for the MMO genre, removing what puts people off MMO games like heavy grinding and a sub fee, but keeping the things we all love like a massive fleshed out world.

So yeah in short if Anet do what they have promised they will beat if not deal a significant blow to WoW.

 

[=VTA=Spax]

I'm not going to get in to a GW2 vs. WoW dissection, each have their own merits and disadvantages.

GW and GW2 will always get my money because my belief is that if you have to pay a subscription you shouldn't have to pay for the game in the first place. It's essentially the publisher having their cake and eating it.

As GW and GW2 are subscription free I'm able to play when I can and not worry about it. If I was paying a sub then it would always bug me that I was throwing my money away.
Your wouldn't rent a car for a month only to use it twice would you?

 

[gbemery]

I don't think it will. A lot of the people playing WoW have gotten "comfortable" and will probably not leave what they know for some new areas that will in most likely either play like WoW or very similar. If it doesn't then they might just sidestep the "aggravation" of learning something new and again stay with what they already know, the community they already have etc. It took them "forever" to get where they are in WoW why would they risk getting hooked to another game too and either waste all the money they spent creating their experience in WoW (yes I realize the irony of that) or wasting double the money to enjoy two experiences that would be rather similar in the end?

 

[fundayz]

1. NCsoft is NOT developing GW2, Arenanet is. NCsoft has no direct influence on the game, they just provide the money.

You're incredibly naive if you think NCSoft provides money without having any influence on the game, no matter what the Arenanet hype-department might admit to.

Obviously they have influence, they DO fund the whole thing, but they are known for giving Anet a very long leash to work with and trust them to churn out great games. They didn't touch GW1 game design whatsoever and probably won't touch GW2 either.

So yeah, as far as game play and design, NCsoft has next to no involvement. Marketing, pricing, etc is another story.

 

[Sam Doctorman]

Wow has been around longer they have more players so wow will win

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

And yet Guild Wars didn't -dent- WoW. A lot of people who bought it, never played it again. Current players are considerably less, less than a million.

Consider that that's 6 million total paid accounts made vs over 12 million current subscribers which doesn't account for total paid accounts.

That number is meaningless in a discussion of whether GW2 will be a 'wow-killer'. Nor is that even an appropriate term? GW1 wasn't even a WoW-tickler.

That was kind of my point. GW and GW2's success is determined by units sold, not by subscribers. Because there are no subscribers. Their model revolves around people enjoying the game for as long as they want to, then buying expansions and playing them for as long as they want. People are actually expected to leave the game when they get bored of it, because ArenaNet isn't earning most of their money through subscription fees. Their goal is to make the game enjoyable enough that people will buy the expansions. It's like an offline game in that way.

By the way, where did you get your numbers that considerably less than a million people play GW1?

Anyway, this is what I and others have been trying to say. WoW and GW2 aren't even in competition, because people can easily play both games. That was how GW1 and 2 were designed.

 

[ScourgeOfHell]

The sheer number of people who play WoW, is enough to completely steamroll Guild Wars. Its futile to examine this with a poll, but if you want to argue from a critical standpoint, thats completely different. Put simply, dont be impressed by the poll results.

 

[Enigmers]

I don't think anything can dethrone World of Warcraft at this point. It's like the Magic: The Gathering of MMORPGs.

 

[TwistednMean]

The short answer to this kind of questions will be "show me how this new fantasy MMORPG is different from WoW and I'll tell you why it's going to fail". There's a good reason why everything in WoW is just the way it is, this reason being because it works!

When it comes to quests, those are actually an alternative to grinding mobs for leveling. To get a taste what a real grind feels like one should try Lineage. As for end-game grinding in raids or the arena, well, it is the essential part of any MMORPG as there would be absolutely nothing the players can do without it.

After all when I want to enjoy a good story without experiencing tedious gameplay I get myself an offline game. Or a good book.

 

[MaVeN1337]

RIFT Already won. Both lose.

Isnt rift just WoW with shinier graphics? People are not going to leave WoW to play wow, even if there are a few mechanical tweaks.

Have you played RIFT? I am the worlds biggest Anti-WoW person EVER, and I'm loving the shit out of rift right now. It's really fun, I highly recommend it.

 

[elvor0]

RIFT Already won. Both lose.

Isnt rift just WoW with shinier graphics? People are not going to leave WoW to play wow, even if there are a few mechanical tweaks.

Have you played RIFT? I am the worlds biggest Anti-WoW person EVER, and I'm loving the shit out of rift right now. It's really fun, I highly recommend it.

I havent, but the stuff that I've looked at just seems that it's really similar (keep in mind the honeymoon period of MMOs where they seem amazing at first but end up being really similar).

From a numbers point of view, if its too similar people aint gonna play it, just because they're heavily invested in WoW, and theres no free trial so that'll damage any subscription base from arising as well.

I'd quite happly try it, but I'm not spending £30 to potentially end up playing a tweaked WoW, which is how I'm sure a lot of people feel.

 

[shadowform]

RIFT Already won. Both lose.

Isnt rift just WoW with shinier graphics? People are not going to leave WoW to play wow, even if there are a few mechanical tweaks.

Have you played RIFT? I am the worlds biggest Anti-WoW person EVER, and I'm loving the shit out of rift right now. It's really fun, I highly recommend it.

You know, there's a reason the trailer for Rift says "We aren't in Azeroth anymore".

It's because if it didn't say that you'd mistake it for a WoW trailer.

 

[DracoSuave]

And yet Guild Wars didn't -dent- WoW. A lot of people who bought it, never played it again. Current players are considerably less, less than a million.

Consider that that's 6 million total paid accounts made vs over 12 million current subscribers which doesn't account for total paid accounts.

That number is meaningless in a discussion of whether GW2 will be a 'wow-killer'. Nor is that even an appropriate term? GW1 wasn't even a WoW-tickler.

That was kind of my point. GW and GW2's success is determined by units sold, not by subscribers. Because there are no subscribers. Their model revolves around people enjoying the game for as long as they want to, then buying expansions and playing them for as long as they want. People are actually expected to leave the game when they get bored of it, because ArenaNet isn't earning most of their money through subscription fees. Their goal is to make the game enjoyable enough that people will buy the expansions. It's like an offline game in that way.

By the way, where did you get your numbers that considerably less than a million people play GW1?

Anyway, this is what I and others have been trying to say. WoW and GW2 aren't even in competition, because people can easily play both games. That was how GW1 and 2 were designed.

Awesome, and a bit off-topic, given that the topic is 'Will GW2 kill WoW?'

Besides, this is a thread about whether one believes GW2 is a WoW-Killer or not. Do I believe they will coexist? Absolutely. Do I believe Gw2 can -dent- WoW? Not a frikken chance.