Tag: Funcom

Conan Exiles Readies For Early Access PC Launch


Conan Exiles hits early access in just a week, January 31st for those of you keeping track on your calendars or late night on the 30th for those of you west coast gamers, and Funcom has pushed out a press release today detailing the when, the where, and the how. The time is 6 in the morning GMT, which means those of you in California will be able to get your hands on it at 9 the previous night before you go to bed. You’ll be able to pick up early access via the Conan Exiles early access by heading over to the game’s Steam store page.

“One of the really great things about working with Conan the Barbarian is that there is this huge pop cultural universe surrounding him,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Being able to team up with Dark Horse Comics, Modiphius, and other Conan creators has allowed us to build a special edition that speaks to both fans and those discovering Conan for the first time.”

Now for the goodies: The Barbarian edition of the game costs $60 (standard full release title) and includes digital Conan comic books, an exclusive digital Conan Exiles comic book, the “Coming of Conan” digital ebook, two digital soundtracks, a distinctly non-digital t-shirt, items in Age of Conan, and much more. The standard edition hits for $29.99.

Alternately, window shoppers and prospective buyers can check out the cinematic trailer below. Conan Exiles is coming to Xbox One early access this Spring.

(Source: Steam)

[Video] Conan Exiles Trailer


The latest trailer for Conan Exiles has released, showcasing environmental destruction, combat, slavery, dismemberment, and a giant colossus punching a giant snake in the face. Developed by Funcom, Conan Exiles is set for launch on Steam Early Access in January 2017 and on Xbox Preview in Spring 2017, Conan Exiles is a survival sandbox game.

Check out MMO Fallout’s coverage as the game goes live in January.

Funcom Q3 2016: Bad For Funcom, Good For The Secret World


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It doesn’t take a financial expert to know that things aren’t so hot when the top story is the sale of 15 million shares for $954 thousand. Funcom has released their third quarter revenues and the results are not so great. Revenue in Q3 amounted to $1.7 million, down from the nearly $2.2 million over the same period last year and compounded by the presence of said share sale. The good news is that the company no longer appears to be fully underwater, with equity at $97 thousand compared to negative $365 thousand over the same period last year.

As announced well over a year ago now, Funcom has changed its development strategy to one that focuses on small, low budget experimental titles alongside less frequent, larger games. This new plan has brought us The Park, spooky jump-scare game Hide & Shriek, as well as the upcoming Conan Legends, slated for release into early access in January. According to the quarterly report, Funcom are constantly looking out for new and emerging platforms like virtual reality and eSports, and augmented reality to create new products.

The Secret World players will be happy to know that a massive update is coming in the first half of 2017, something that Funcom has described as a “major upgrade to both retention and acquisition mechanics and content of the game.” Age of Conan will be receiving a new dungeon while Anarchy Online hopes to revitalize itself by launching on Steam sometime in the fourth quarter. The Park is effectively a money machine at this point, as low as its sales are, due to the fact that development has finished.

As for Conan Exiles, expect more marketing on that game to crop up in November with the additional news that the game is being developed for Xbox One, while Funcom hopes that the game will still be in the top 10 survival games being played a year after launch. Another Conan game is in the works, albeit very early in the concept phase, and not set to go into development until Conan Exiles exits early access.

(Source: Funcom)

Funcom Celebrating 15 Years of Anarchy Online


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Funcom is excited to announce that‘Anarchy Online’, the first Sci-Fi MMORPG and one of the longest-running titles in the genre, celebrates its 15th anniversary today!

As part of the celebration, Funcom invites everyone who has ever played‘Anarchy Online’ to join in the festivities between June 23rd and July 11th (regardless of current Membership status).  New Membership offers, with brand new armor pieces, login rewards and the Desert Rider event are also part of the grand 15th anniversary celebration!

Included with the anniversary is an all new Game Update which changes the Player vs Player attack windows on Notum Tower fields, where players battle for dominance over the planet Rubi-Ka. The update also introduces a new Research Line for end-game players, with powerful skill increases, and adds new Veteran Shop rewards with bonus Veteran Points for existing members.
Read more about the celebration and game update here

“I wish to thank everyone who has been part of this extraordinary journey,” said‘Anarchy Online’ Lead Designer Henry Senger.  “Anarchy Online’s incredible community has always been the heart and soul of the game, and I also wish to thank everyone who will continue the adventure with us, so we may go on for another 15 years!”

Released in 2001, ‘Anarchy Online’ shaped the face of the MMORPG genre with its Science-Fiction setting and innovative features, including dynamic missions, item levels, and instancing.  A Beta version of a new ‘Anarchy Online’ rendering engine was released last year, and thousands upon thousands of players continue to explore the world of Rubi-ka today.

For more information about ‘Anarchy Online’ or to play for free, please visit the official website at http://www.anarchy-online.com/ .

Anarchy Online is one of the oldest available MMORPG’s on the market, one that might not appeal much to modern day gamers but one with a rather loyal player base. According to Funcom’s reports, the game remains profitable and as such will likely be going nowhere anytime soon.

(Source: Funcom Press Release)

Conan Exiles Delayed to January 2017


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Conan Exiles is begin delayed, and for good reason. In an announcement posted on the Steam Early Access page today, Joel Bylos has revealed that additional funding has allowed the studio more flexibility in getting the game up to snuff before putting it on the store.

We have come to realize that we would like to spend a little more time creating our vision of Hyboria before we release it into Early Access. Having very recently secured additional funding for our studio which has made our financial situation much more flexible than even just a few weeks back, we want to take advantage of that and move Early Access to January 2017. With the extra time in development, we believe we can make a better game for you, the fans.

(Source: Steam)

Video: The Secret World Museum of the Occult


Funcom has posted a new video showing off the Museum of the Occult, a cross between a place to display your achievements and The Secret World’s answer to player housing. The museum serves as a space to show off your progress and purchase rewards.

Waiting for players who complete the entire museum is a unique item that will “really turn the tides of battle,” according to the developer post.

The Museum of the Occult is a brand-new feature that allows you to collect, display, and customize exhibits of monsters in your own personal Museum.  The Museum allows you to customize displays based on your collected achievements and lore on The Secret World’s bestiary. It is a personalized space where you are able to place full-size exhibits of monsters you’ve encountered and learned about. Once you’ve set up your Museum, you can even invite your friends to visit and bask in your glory.

In addition to offering visual trophies, players also are able to purchase new rewards, including T-Shirts designed by members of our community, pets, Grim Glamours, and consumables that grant a chance to call upon monstrous guardians to assist you in combat!

Funcom Shutting Down Lego Minifigures Online


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You know that there is trouble when a developer actively points out the best time to get out of their contract. We learned earlier this year that Funcom’s license with Lego Minifigures Online ends in October 2016, so there shouldn’t be a surplus of surprise that the title is being sunset at the end of September.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that LEGO Minifigures Online will be closing on September 30th, 2016. We know that many of you are still enjoying your adventures in the game, and this has been a difficult decision for us to make but unfortunately, the time has come to retire LEGO Minifigures Online.

Lego Minifigures originally launched as a free to play game in 2014. When the title failed to meet expectations, Funcom transformed the game into a buy to play model, effectively locking out anyone who had previously played but not purchased anything. The poor performance of the model was attributed to overestimation of buying power, according to Funcom’s quarterly report from May 2015.

(Source: Funcom)

Conan Exiles Enters Early Access In September


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Conan Exiles is now available to add to your wishlist on Steam, however the game itself won’t be available for another few months. In a press release published today, Funcom has revealed that its multiplayer survival game Conan Exiles will be heading to Steam Early Access in September.

Accompanying the announcement is a brand new trailer showing off some early gameplay, with players laying siege to castles, building, destroying, and generally slaughtering each other in massive numbers.

“We’re very excited (and a bit nervous) about launching our first Early Access title,” said Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “The team wants to give the players the best possible experience, and while we are used to working on a game for several years before letting players in, this time around we will let players in just nine months after development started!”

As with any early access game, Age of Conan will not be feature complete upon its initial launch. Customers should keep that fact in mind before they make their purchase.

Funcom Funding Fun: $6.3 Million Investment


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Funcom’s staff may not be popping the (reasonably priced) champagne, but the developer can breath a sigh of relief over its financial situation. In a press release sent out today, Funcom CEO Rui Casais has revealed a $6.3 million private investment in the Norwegian game developer.

In addition, Funcom has announced that it has reduced its debt by $7.7 million thanks to a debt conversion process.

“This investment is a major turning point for the company,” said Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Funcom has been making great games for more than twenty-three years, but it is no secret that the company has had a strained financial situation in recent years that made it challenging to fully realize our new strategy and get back on the right track. This investment allows us to finally do that.”

Funcom has shifted strategy in recent months to developing multiple small to medium sized experimental projects. The Park, a horror game set in The Secret World, launched last year on PC and this year on PS4 and Xbox One. Funcom’s second experimental title, Conan Exiles, hits early access later this summer.

With offices in Oslo and North Carolina, Funcom holds one of the longest running portfolio of MMOs in the industry. The investment should come as good news to their player base and investors alike.

(Source: Funcom)

The Park Out On Xbox One and PS4


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Funcom’s experimental title The Park is out today on modern consoles, letting games of all stripes to experience the same horror that PC players went through last Halloween. Set in the secret world of The Secret World, The Park puts players in the shoes of Lorraine, a mother desperately searching for her son Callum who becomes lost in the dilapidated amusement park.

“We are very excited about bringing ‘The Park’ to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and this launch holds special significance for us, not least because it is our first console release in almost ten years,” said Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “’The Park’ feels truly at home on PlaySation 4 and Xbox One, and it was the perfect title for us to get back on the console scene again.”

MMO Fallout reviewed The Park on PC and found it to be a fun, short game albeit highly predictable and unappealing to those outside of the “walking simulator” genre. You can check out our coverage here.

(Source: Funcom press release)