Gamers grab 2 million copies of 'Guild Wars 2' despite sales halt

3 hrs.

Winda Benedetti

It's been just over?two weeks since it launched, and already?the online fantasy game "Guild Wars 2" has sold two million copies.

As if that isn't?impressive enough, note that developer ArenaNet and publisher NCSoft sent that?many copies of the online role-playing game flying?out the door despite having suspended sales for ten days.

ArenaNet halted?first-party sales and retail replenishment only?two days after the game's launch on August 28. It decided to do this as a way of ensuring that?those players who had ?already bought the game would have as good an?experience as?possible.?

After all, launching a highly anticipated?online games is a notoriously tricky proposition. As hundreds and thousands of gamers storm new servers,?things often go awry in one way or another. (Just ask those who've played?"Diablo 3" and "Star Wars: The Old Republic.")

"Preserving the customer experience has always been our top priority," explained?Mike O?Brien, president and co-founder of ArenaNet. "We're supporting 'Guild Wars 2'?for the long run. We'll always do what it takes to deliver the best online gaming experience for our customers, even when that means throttling sales."

Despite the sales halt, even "Guild Wars 2" ???which puts players on a dragon-slaying adventure in the fantasy world of Tyria ???has hit a few bumps? with some players initially reporting difficulties connecting to the servers and hackers breaking into accounts.

But?ArenaNet began selling the game?again earlier this week after?deploying new servers in both North America and Europe and nearly?doubling its number of customer support agents. It was only a matter of days before the game hit 2 million copies sold. Meanwhile, the game is regularly?seeing?more than 400,000 people playing at one time.?

It's perhaps no surprise that "Guild Wars 2" has been doing?so well.?The game has?received?many rave reviews ??including our own (see InGame editor Todd Kenreck's?video?above).

"Reactions from around the world justified the time and care we put into developing 'Guild Wars 2' and making it into the game it is today," O'Brien said in a press release.?"And this is only the beginning. We're continually fine-tuning the game to deliver the polished experience that our players expect, and we're already working on new adventures and experiences to introduce into this truly dynamic online world."

"Guild Wars 2" will cost you $60 and you can pick?it right here.

Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here?@WindaBenedetti,?and you canfollow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.

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Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/gamers-grab-2-million-copies-guild-wars-2-despite-sales-999089

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