No, Guild Wars 2 Still Not Getting Official Controller Support
Following this week’s announcement of Guild Wars Reforged, many long time fans hoped ArenaNet might finally extend official controller support to Guild Wars 2. Reforged, arriving December 3 on Steam and Windows PC, introduces modernized graphics, quality of life enhancements, and most notably, full controller support and Steam Deck compatibility. Naturally, this raised questions about whether the studio would implement similar input improvements for its active MMO.
Unfortunately, ArenaNet has confirmed through PR channels that there are no plans to add official controller support to Guild Wars 2 at this time. While the news comes as a disappointment for a large subset of the community, the studio’s focus appears to be firmly on Reforged and other forward looking initiatives rather than retrofitting the live game with new input technology.
A major contributor to the new feature in Reforged is 2weeks, a partner studio formed by former ArenaNet developers and brought on to co develop the modernized release. At present, however, there is no indication that 2weeks is assisting with any similar functionality in Guild Wars 2.
The situation is particularly ironic given that ArenaNet once explored controller support internally. Roughly five years ago, Gameplay Programmer Jon Olson worked on native gamepad functionality during his own time, a fact he acknowledged publicly on Reddit after users spotted traces of the feature. His statement, still available to read on Reddit. Olson highlighted accessibility as his primary motivation, saying his personal goal was to help even one player who could not otherwise enjoy the game due to traditional controls. Olson left ArenaNet before the feature was completed, and development ceased entirely.
It is unfortunate timing, as Guild Wars 2 is currently experiencing strong engagement following the launch of the Visions of Eternity expansion. Additionally, after the effective shutdown of New World, the game has absorbed a steady flow of new and returning players. Official controller support would have aligned well with the title’s revived momentum and growing audience.
Looking ahead, hopes may fall on ArenaNet’s next major project. An NCSOFT executive referenced Guild Wars 3 roughly eighteen months ago, but ArenaNet has neither confirmed nor denied the title’s existence. Should the next generation of the franchise materialize, it would be reasonable to expect native controller support as a baseline feature.
For now, however, fans of Guild Wars 2 will need to continue relying on Steam Input or third party solutions, none of which offer the seamless experience players desire.
Would you like to see ArenaNet revisit controller support for Guild Wars 2, or should it focus entirely on future titles? Share your thoughts in the comments.
