Make it So: Number 3

August 2009 was a critical month in the history of Guild Wars 2.  The president of ArenaNet, Mike O'Brien started off the excitement on August 17th, saying:

"Hey all, 

Last week I promised you’d get your first glimpse of Guild Wars 2 “very soon now”. That day is almost here. 

I want to thank all our fans for their patience as we developed the game to the point where we can start talking about it publicly. I know you’ve all been anxiously awaiting this moment. You’ll soon understand how ambitious we've been and what we’ve accomplished during these past two years of development. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but from here on out we’ll be able to provide you with more regular updates.

Guild Wars 2 is going to be a huge leap beyond the original. We have the best team in the industry executing at the top of their game, and I’m very proud of what our team has accomplished so far. As I said last week, I’m confident that when you get your first look at what we've been working on, you’re going to love what you see. Stay tuned for an exciting week ahead." - Source

My first thought was 'Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet'.  Up to this point (and past it as you'll see in future posts), ArenaNet had virtually starved its community of Guild Wars 2.  The anticipation of what was to come was overwhelming.

Click past the break to see more news from August 2009, as well as the incredibly amazing first Guild Wars 2 trailer.

August 17th also brought with it the official Twitter, Facebook and updated website.  The official website debuted the updated Guild Wars 2 logo as well (seen at top of post).  In the following days, ArenaNet and NCSoft invited all Guild Wars fans to find the NCSoft booth at Gamescom, and also released 4 pieces of concept art.

 I'll let the news of August 20 speak for itself.

Gamescom 2009 was fortunate enough to debut the first GW2 teaser trailer.  I remember fast forwarding to the in-game footage and having to put a bib on to stifle the drool running down my chin.  I definitely watched the trailer at least nine times the first day it was released.  

One week from the trailer's release, ArenaNet updated the official Guild Wars 2 site with an updated FAQ, concept art, as well as a compilation of developer interviews with gaming sites like Pause, IGN and Eurogamer.

With the interviews and announcements from August '09 all out in the open, GW2 had officially started to make some serious waves in the MMO and gaming community.  I know that I was shocked to hear they were still sticking with the no-subscription model business plan.  After seeing the incredible artwork, hearing a lot of the voice acting, it was obvious that ArenaNet was spending some serious cashola to make GW2 the best it could possibly be.  The environments, the soaring towers of Divinity's Reach, and so much more in the trailer may have brought a tear or three to my eyes.  ArenaNet blew the doors off of anything I had set expectations for, and set the bar high for any other company looking to get into the MMO market.  

The GW2 news train keeps rolling in the next Make it So, which will finish out news announcements for 2009.  Our goal with Make it So is to educate those new to Guild Wars 2, with a basic timeline of major news announcements.