Guild Wars Sells 5 Million Units

NCsoft and ArenaNet have announced that Guild Wars has sold 5 million units.

Bellevue, WA. February 26, 2008—NCsoft® and ArenaNet® have announced that the Guild Wars® franchise of online roleplaying games has surpassed five million units sold in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Published by NCsoft and developed by ArenaNet, the Guild Wars franchise consists of the original Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions®, Guild Wars Nightfall®, and the recently released expansion, Guild Wars: Eye of the NorthTM. The Guild Wars games have been commercial and critical successes since the release of the original campaign in April of 2005. Its award-winning content and innovative subscription-free business model have created a large and loyal following that is highly anticipating Guild Wars 2.

This is the only MMOG that I can recall that has reached numbers that are close to World of Warcraft. Since WoW has been accused of killing MMOs, publishers and developers alike need to shift tactics to drive players away from the Blizzard giant. One such option is a free-to-play scheme, and with the success of Guild Wars, it’s safe to say that ArenaNet and NCsoft are doing something right. Maybe it’s time for other parties to give them a long, hard look.

Source: Press Release

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