'Guild Wars 2' developers promise 'consistent free content updates'

Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet intends to update the game with "consistent free content," the studio said recently.

Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet intends to update the game with "consistent free content," the studio said in a recent forum post.

Game director Colin Johanson stopped by a thread on the Guild Wars 2 forums in which fans had voiced their desire for periodic content packs — and their willingness to pay for them. According to Johanson, ArenaNet will deliver "a large amount" of free content including new in-game events. "Our goal is to make it so you get more from [Guild Wars 2] for free than you get from a game you pay a subscription for," he said. In addition to the content updates, ArenaNet plans to add more items to the Black Lion Trading Company, the in-game store.

Johanson did not rule out paid content, but implied that ArenaNet would only charge for "large-scale [expansions]," which are also on the way. "We do appreciate that you'd like to buy lots of new content," said Johanson, "but we'd prefer to give a lot of it to you for free, cause that's what we think a responsible MMO company does!"

Guild Wars 2 launched on PC last month, and as of today, is available in beta form on Mac OS X. Read our full review here.