Before Guild Wars 3’s formal announcement, one of the entirely credible possibilities for an ArenaNet reveal was the card game that we knew was in the works thanks to the not-so-secret test of a Guild Wars-themed digital CCG on Steam back in 2024. Back then, it was called Lion’s Arch Guild Wars Arena, and we weren’t entirely sure it was really happening.
But it’s real, and now it’s called Guild Wars Mistbound.
“Mistbound is an all-new experience which bridges the gap between Guild Wars’ MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) legacy and the immensely popular deckbuilding strategy genre. Mistbound will draw upon the franchise’s deep lore, iconic characters, and beautiful art and music, while simultaneously introducing new strategic depth, and community-driven content in both single-player and multiplayer modes. […] Designed around new multi-directional card movement mechanics, Mistbound aims to bring new energy to the traditional CCG universe and honor the legacy of Guild Wars for players. […] In Mistbound, players will step into the boots of a commander, becoming one with the battlefield as they select cards to deploy onto a dynamic 5 x 3 tactical grid and crucially reposition them turn-by-turn in response to enemy movements. This feature dubbed ‘Dynamic Movement Gameplay’ allows each card to move in multiple directions per turn, ensuring exciting and unpredictable moment-to-moment gameplay.”
If you’re currently panicking because you know ArenaNet’s two – three, really – parallel dev teams are already a bit pressed working on the three extant Guild Wars games, you can calm down because it’s pretty clear that NCsoft – via Chinese megacorp Bilibili – is shouldering most of the project, as the companies says it is “[o]fficially licensed by ArenaNet, developed by NC, and globally published by bilibili.” Additionally, the PR quotes NCsoft lead producer Hwang Sunwoo as well as game designer and pro Hearthstone player Baek “Kranich” Hakjun.
“We felt it was time to give Guild Wars fans a new way to play together, inspired by the card game roots of the franchise, where they could compete in a competitive PvP arena in a CCG game space,” ArenaNet’s Colin Johanson says. “Having all those experiences they love of the characters and creatures and the sounds of the world of Tyria brought to life in CCG.”
Update
