NeverMetPress: Interview with Angel Leigh McCoy (2012-01-12) - Open Beta Teased

[Centaur]

The people from NeverMet Press recently had an interview with Guild Wars 2 writer Angel Leigh McCoy about her history as a writer and gamer, and a little bit about Guild Wars 2:

[NMP] So, how about work today? You are a full-time designer for ArenaNet, how did you find yourself working on Guild Wars 2? (And… when is the game going to be released? [wink wink]

I do work full time, and I’ve been here for four wondrous years as of today. Before ArenaNet, I was working at Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) as a project manager. I’d interviewed at ArenaNet a couple times, been wined and dined by their previous writing lead, and had met the owners, but it wasn’t the right time. I had several friends at ArenaNet already, and I was a huge Guild Wars fan, but I just wasn’t ready to leave MGS. Finally, at the end of 2007, Bobby Stein, the new writing lead, approached me about applying again. So, I did.

Bobby likes to remind me often about how I blew off the first interview, and he had to call me and ask if I was coming. I’d had a total brain fart and lost track of time. Despite that, and despite the fact that I admitted to disliking Tolkien in the group interview with James Phinney, Jeff Grubb, and Ree Soesbee, I was hired. And I was ready. To my delight, the timing was perfect. I moved right into working on Guild Wars 2, and I’ve been crazy happy ever since.

That last question is the big one, eh? And, I cannot answer it because I don’t know the answer. What I can tell you is that we’re currently in Closed Beta and planning has begun for an Open Beta. It’s all extremely exciting, and the game is coming along smashingly. It really is like magic when it all starts coming together and you see what an enormous accomplishment you’ve contributed to.

You can find the full interview here

[Tigris Cattus]

I wonder what will be the conditions to make it to open beta I'm excited!!

[dbzss1]

We are slowly getting there...I know so many people IRL waiting for this game which is never the case in most other games.

"Right at this moment, I am living and breathing Guild Wars 2"
Wish I can say the same, I am in wrong profession

[Centaur]

Well, she is one of the writers of the game... it's only natural that that's the main thing on her mind 7 days a week.
By the way, welcome to these forums, dbzss1

[SeniorFrog]

"Planning has begun for an open beta".

That is it folks! Get your keyboards ready!

[iDwarf]

I better hurry up and get my new gaming laptop so I can be prepared for the open beta! Guild Wars 2 is on my mind 83% of the time. I can't wait to get in and annihilate people as a tiny asura elementalist :P

[SeniorFrog]

I better hurry up and get my new gaming laptop so I can be prepared for the open beta! Guild Wars 2 is on my mind 83% of the time. I can't wait to get in and annihilate people as a tiny asura elementalist :P

Dude you're going asura as well?! Nice. I'm not sure what class I'm going to be yet, but it's going to be so cute killing some Chars with that cute little thing

[roshamjoe]

I imagine the earliest we'll hear about open beta and any release information is going to be PAX East (April 6th - 12th). My hope is that during the convention they release info about WvWvW, some dungeons, give an update on how the game looks in closed beta and perhaps give up a month for open beta and/or release of the game. In the meantime I'm catching up in Rift to pass the time, pointing out to myself all the little things that GW2 will be improving on.

[Ship Happens]

Damn you Centaur! I just found out about open BETA this morning and was going to make the first post

[JohnnyV]

Just a heads up Centaur, I put the "Open Beta Teased" in the title