Guild Wars 2: paid PvP tournaments underline eSports ambition

Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet has posted a large blog on the subject of competitive play, talking up the game's competitive elements as the tip of a very large iceberg. The studio has also shed light on paid tournament play, and it seems like they want it to explode into something bigger over time.

Guild Wars 2 already has free automated tournaments, but ArenaNet wants you to up the stakes with paid automated tournaments that require an entry fee, and follow a structured PvP format.

Here's what the studio had to say on the matter:

"After players have become used to the game and learned the basics of sPvP, we figure they’ll be ready to test their skills by challenging the other experienced players out there in paid tournaments. These tournaments are similar to free automated tournaments, but with a couple key differences."

"As the name implies, paid automated tournaments have an entry fee. You’ll need tickets to enter a paid tournament, which you can purchase in the gem store, find in reward chests from free tournaments, and receive when you rank up!"

"These tournaments reward ALL teams that play in them, and offer better rewards on average than free tournaments. Successful teams can earn excellent rewards from paid tournaments, but you’ve got to be good to finish in the top prize slots."

"We expect that more experienced PvP players will start to migrate to paid tournaments because the risk/reward is much higher than in the free automated tournaments."

"There is also no matchmaking in the paid tournaments. You have to come in with a premade team, which means the teams will ALL be organized teams – you won’t have premade groups fighting pick-up groups as you would in free paid tournaments."

The blog stresses that all players receive something back for their efforts, with the top four receiving significant spoils. You can get a breakdown of the rewards over at the blog.

ArenaNet also discusses custom arenas that can be rented by teams. Groups can use these spaces to practice tactics without fear of other players entering the area. These training grounds certainly hint at pro play, and a potential desire to tap into the eSports mindset.

Plus, the blog repeatedly states that the studio never reveals things unless it feels confident that they will work. Which alludes to something bigger behind all of this PvP competitive chatter. We'll keep our eyes open on this one.

Thanks PCGamesN.