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ArenaNet teased earlier this week that something Guild Wars related would be at the Summer Game Fest showcase. Naturally, we wondered if it could be Guild Wars 3, but fans of the MMO series tried not to get their hopes up.
Turns out high hopes were justified: It is Guild Wars 3! There's even a Steam page up now.
"The MMORPG genre has millions of players worldwide eager for new, modern experiences, and the opportunity to harness that excitement is immense," Guild Wars 3 game director and ArenaNet studio head Colin Johanson said in a press release. "Our approach with Guild Wars 3 is to push MMORPGs forward, to create an online game world that feels believable, rewarding, responsive, and innovative while at the same time respecting players’ time and providing a positive, supportive space to build community and enjoy new stories in our universe."
ArenaNet tells us that Guild Wars 3 is set over a thousand years before the events of Guild Wars, and takes place in the Tyrian region of Orr, "a vast wilderness frontier imbued with the world's magic."
Speaking on-stage at Summer Game Fest for Guild Wars 3's reveal, Johanson said the prequel-threequel will offer "usher in an entirely new type of MMO experience."
The trailer doesn't show much that you could call gameplay, but it does illustrate a core aspect of the MMO: Each player will have a Seeker, a spirit which serves "as a connection to the spirits of Orr and a mount that will carry them on their journeys through the game's open world."
In other words, it's—you know—a cool horse. A really cool horse.
Guild Wars 3's movement system is particularly emphasized on the Steam page: "Run, slide, leap, and bound across Orr with a one-of-a-kind movement system that transfers your momentum between modes of travel, providing a free-form joy of movement through a world alive with adventure."
And that sounds great and all, but both Johanson and the Steam description overlook the most promising thing shown in the teaser: There's a bear guy sitting there. Barely any MMOs let you make a bear guy. That's the kind of innovation I'm looking for.
In all seriousness, while ArenaNet is making some pretty massive promises, it's tempting to hear that a studio is investing some serious thought into experimenting with the MMO form in 2026, years after most of the industry has left the genre behind. We take it for granted now, but in their heyday, MMOs celebrated the magic of a exploring and coexisting in a shared, online world. If ArenaNet can find a way to recapture that magic, I'll eagerly give it my attention.
No release date for Guild Wars 3 has been announced, but a beta is planned for fall 2027.
