As to whether GW has gone "futuristic", I think Jarin raises an intriguing point. It might be kind of fun if the setting for GW2 (assuming the game ever gets made) transitions from a classic premodern fantasy setting to a futuristic fantasy/sci-fi setting, blending magic with science and technology (the Asurans, remember) in a brand new way. Golems, for example, would look a whole lot more "high-tech" after 250 years of refinement.

Now, *that* really does sound kind of cool -- a sci-fi/fantasy MMO -- and might also explain NCSoft's total silence about GW2.