In 2005, ArenaNet developed its critically acclaimed and well-received multiplayer online action role-playing game, Guild Wars Prophecies, formerly known as Guild Wars, which went on to many awards, including awards for the Best Value, Best Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), and Best Game. By August 2010, the game (alongside its add-ons) had surpassed 6.5 million copies sold across the world, with the sequel, Guild Wars 2, surpassing 2 million copies sold across the world in only two weeks since its release in August 2012.
Since then, the company has only released three expansions for the sequel, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns (2015), Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire (2017), and Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons (2022), with an officially announced fourth expansion yet to be released.
While it’s still uncertain whether ArenaNet has any upcoming projects currently under development, particularly upcoming games or franchises, we may finally know what the company has in the works, according to recently posted job listings on the company’s website. It seems like ArenaNet currently has an unannounced multiplayer role-playing game “for an established online fantasy IP,” based on Unreal Engine 5, in its pre-production stages.
Earlier today, we came across a recent job listing on the ArenaNet website for the Senior Technical Content Designer (Unannounced Project) position, the description for which reads, “We have a bold vision for breaking free of certain vicious cycles inherent to content creation. Our studio strives to build both breath-taking narratives and a deeply interactive world. In this role, you will be building the pillars of our multiplayer storytelling experience such as interactions, conversations, scenes, dynamic spawning, and emergent objectives.”
Hence, it’s clear that the company is working on an unannounced multiplayer game with a narrative experience to it. Furthermore, the game seems to have interactions with non-player characters (NPCs) and missions, alongside “dynamic spawning”.
Job listing for the Senior Technical Content Designer (Unannounced Project) position at ArenaNet’s Bellevue studio based in Washington State, United States. | Source: ArenaNetOne of the responsibilities that the candidate would have in the job position mentions “direct implementation in the Unreal 5 engine,” suggesting that this unannounced project will be based on Epic Games’ propriety next-generation game engine, Unreal Engine 5.
Furthermore, one of the reasons that candidates should apply for the job position states that the unannounced project will be based on “an established online fantasy IP,” with the project being well-funded and currently in pre-production.
Additionally, the subsequent reason as to why candidates should apply for the job position mentions “enhancing the humanity of virtual interaction,” which solidifies that there will be non-player characters (NPCs) in the unannounced game that players can interact with.
Unfortunately, this is all the information that we have on this unannounced project at the moment, as the job listing is a recent one and the only one on the company’s website that mentions an unannounced project currently in development.
Considering the details mentioned in the job listing, the unannounced project likely refers to another instalment in the Guild Wars franchise, as that is also a multiplayer online fantasy action role-playing franchise. However, it’s still unclear whether the job listing is for a completely new instalment or just another expansion for Guild Wars 2.
What do you think about this? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below!
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