Well-Received in North America and Europe... NCSoft Releases Guild Wars 2 Expansion Pack
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] NCSoft's North American subsidiary NC West has released the third expansion pack of Guild Wars 2, "End of Dragons," in North America and Europe. It has been well received for its OST incorporating traditional Korean music and high gameplay quality, establishing itself as NC's core intellectual property (IP).
16 Million Guild Wars 2 Accounts Over 10 Years
Guild Wars 2 is a PC online massively multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by ArenaNet, a subsidiary and development studio of NC West. The service began in August 2012, marking its 10th year this year. As of September 2021, there were approximately 16 million user accounts and a cumulative playtime of 1.9 billion hours, securing a solid fan base.
In 2015, marking three years since its release, NC converted the original Guild Wars 2 to a free-to-play model and launched the first expansion pack, "Heart of Thorns." In 2017, the second expansion pack "Path of Fire" was released, and after five years, on February 28, 2022, the third expansion pack "End of Dragons" was launched. The expansion packs boast a scale comparable to new releases. Last year, expectations for the new expansion pack led to a 21% increase in Guild Wars 2's performance compared to the previous year.
OST Incorporating Traditional Korean Music Receives Praise
End of Dragons attracted attention by blending the unique fantasy of the Guild Wars 2 IP with Eastern architectural styles and costumes. In particular, the OST perfectly harmonizes traditional Korean instruments with orchestral performances, earning praise from Guild Wars 2 fans.
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The traditional Korean instruments used in the End of Dragons OST include percussion instruments such as janggu, buk, kkwaenggwari, and jing, as well as wind and string instruments like daegeum, taepyeongso, danso, piri, gayageum, geomungo, ajaeng, and haegeum. The use of pyeongyeong and pyeonjong, instruments typically seen only in royal court music, also draws attention. The main theme starts with the deep resonance of the daegeum and the lively sound of the taepyeongso, blending harmoniously with the orchestral performance.
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