A new blog post by ArenaNet has kicked up the conversation around playable races in Guild Wars 3. It features some interesting insight into the four available at launch – and hints that additional species could be added later down the line.

The blog post, titled ‘our approach to playable species in Guild Wars 3′, starts by establishing that four species will be playable from the games’ release. Humans and Asura are options we’ve been able to play in prior games, though the Kodan (bear people) are a fan favourite who will be playable for the first time in Guild Wars 3. As for the fourth, ArenaNet is keeping its cards close to the chest for now.

More information on each playable species will start trickling out starting next week, though perhaps the most enticing feature of this blog post comes a bite later on. In a section titled ‘designing for future flexibility’, ArenaNet outright says that the game is being built so more playable species can be added.

This may not sound like an especially big deal, but for Guild Wars players it opens a lot of interesting doors. Guild Wars 2 – ArenaNet’s popular MMO – has stuck with the same five races ever since its release. Some, though not all, could potentially make a return in Guild Wars 3.

The Charr, for example, are a fan favourite. A major part of Guild Wars 1 and a playable race in Guild Wars 2, their absence from the Guild Wars 3 announcement trailer was felt strongly by portions of the community. It looks like they could come back, alongside other races like Dwarves perhaps (fingers crossed).

The only limitation appears to be a technical one. As the blog explains: “The only exception would be a species with an extreme body silhouette that would require extensive, unique custom support that can’t leverage the systems we’ve built. For example, playable Forgotten, with their four arms and serpentine body, are not a viable option.”

The post goes on to emphasise that each playable species will not have a tangible gameplay advantage over each other, and will exist purely as an avenue for player expression.

This sort of post is ripe for fan speculation. Guild Wars has been around for so long that there’s all manner of weird and wonderful species that have been added over the years. There are walking talking frog people in Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns and they’re excellent. One wonders what the game will have in store, or rather, in st-Orr (sorry).