'ArenaNet,' the Bellevue-based video game developers most known for the 'Guild Wars' series of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) recently announced the availability of 'Guild Wars 2' on the Steam platform. Guild Wars 2 was previously only available on Arenanet's dedicated first-party launcher, which is a lesser-known games platform than the giant that is Steam.
Although Guild Wars 2 launched nearly ten years ago, the availability of the game on Steam is expected to bring in a large number of new players. This is not only due to the game's newest expansion, 'End of Dragons,' but also the number of players that will discover the game for the first time by virtue of browsing the Steam Store.
Guild Wars 2 will become available on Steam beginning August 23rd, 2022.
Image Credit: ArenaNet
What's Driving This Trend
- Legacy Role-playing Games on Steam
- The availability of 'Guild Wars 2' on Steam suggests disruptive innovation opportunities for legacy role-playing games as they expand their distribution channels to reach new players.
- Cross-platform Gaming
- The availability of 'Guild Wars 2' on both Steam and Arenanet's first-party launcher paves the way for disruptive innovation opportunities in cross-platform gaming.
- Discoverability in Gaming
- Bringing 'Guild Wars 2' to the Steam platform increases discoverability and suggests disruptive innovation opportunities for gaming companies to broaden their reach.
Who This Affects Most
- Video Game Industry
- The availability of 'Guild Wars 2' on different gaming platforms opens up disruptive innovation opportunities for gaming companies to expand their reach in the video game industry.
- Online Multiplayer Gaming
- By bringing 'Guild Wars 2' to Steam, the availability of popular online multiplayer role-playing games on different platforms can pave the way for disruptive innovation opportunities in the online multiplayer gaming industry.
- Digital Distribution Industry
- The emergence of multiple gaming platforms offering 'Guild Wars 2' suggests disruptive innovation opportunities in the digital distribution industry as it allows gaming companies to reach a wider audience through various channels.
