Funcom – Page 7 – MMO Fallout

Funcom Q2 Release Points Toward “Experimental” Games

Funcom has released their second quarter earnings for 2015 and it doesn’t take a genius to know that the results are not good, because the geniuses have already been telling us for the past month. Revenues at the company are down, from $3.19 million over the same period last year to $2.65 million this quarter. While we knew that Lego Minifigures Online was not a financial success, Funcom notes in its report that the company was forced to write off $2.9 million in the second quarter on “impairment charges,” a fancier term for worthless assets.

In response to its dwindling sales, equity, and cash in the bank, Funcom has announced a new development strategy focused on developing small, experimental, low risk titles that can be released at a rate of at least one per year with one larger game in production at all times. The new plan also includes upgrading the Dreamworld engine to integrate it with third parties (licensing), as well as making further use of in-house properties.

The first product of this new experiment is “The Park,” an experimental single player game set in the horror theme park from The Secret World and set for release in October. Check out the trailer below.

(Source: Funcom)

Funcom Isn’t Doing Well, Seeking Investment/Merger

Things are looking pretty dire for Funcom. Last month we learned that Lego Minifigures not only isn’t selling well, it isn’t being covered by the traditional gaming press. In an update released just a couple of days ago, Funcom announced that it has hired an outside bank to review whatever options may be available to keep the company afloat, including investments, mergers, and acquisitions.

Following the completion and launch of the LEGO Minifigures Online game, and based on the situation described in the stock notice from Funcom issued on 23 July this year, Funcom N.V. (hereafter the “Company”) has retained ABG Sundal Collier to undertake a broad review of the strategic options available to the Company. The Company is actively seeking interested parties for discussions surrounding a possible investment, acquisition, merger, or any other available options.

If you would like to purchase/merge with Funcom, send an email to investor@funcom.com.

(Source: Funcom)

Lego Minifigures Online Relaunches Today

Lego Minifigures Online graces PC and mobile platforms today as its relaunch marks one of the few games to transition from free to play to buy to play. Starting today, you’ll be able to get your hands on the Steam version for $29.99 as well as the first world on iOS and Android for $4.99. While iOS players will be able to buy additional worlds immediately, they will not be available on Android until later this summer.

“LEGO® Minifigures Online is designed for LEGO fans of all ages; for those who love online games, and those who have never played one before,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “To make it even easier for friends to play together, the game is playable seamlessly on a large number of platforms and devices, and everyone plays together in the same online world. No matter whether you are playing on a smartphone, tablet or desktop, you will all be playing the same game – together.”

Originally launched with microtransactions and an optional membership, Funcom and Lego decided to alter the monetization platform in response to the game consistently underperforming in sales. The unfortunate side effect of this transition is that some players will lose access until they purchase the game.

(Source: Funcom press release)

Anarchy Online’s New Graphics Engine Releases

The wait for Anarchy Online’s new engine dates back to MMO Fallout’s infancy, literally. We’ve been around since July 2009, and the new engine was uncovered that December. Players who have stuck around have a good reason to rejoice, as Funcom has announced that the new engine is finally available on the live server. The new engine comes at the cost of a 5gb installer and a 23gb installation.

(Source: Funcom)

Funcom Revoking Fraudulent Steam Keys

If you purchased The Secret World through grey market resellers like G2A or similar websites, you may log in to find that your account has been disabled and your key revoked. Funcom has joined the growing list of developers fighting back against fraudulent purchases, announcing that keys that are purchased with stolen credit cards or purchased and then charged back are being disabled. In an announcement posted to the forums, Funcom suggests that affected customers contact their seller or go through their financial institution to dispute the charge.

If your account has been closed due to making purchases from these resellers, please contact that reseller and request a refund for the charge. If this doesn’t work, we suggest that you contact your financial institution and dispute the charge from the reseller. Please be careful when making purchases with digital retailers; purchasing directly from Funcom, Steam, or Origin is always suggested to help protect our customers.

Accounts that are disabled due to a fraudulent key can be reactivated with a legitimate key through Funcom’s customer support.

(Source: Funcom)

Funcom Reports Lower Revenues In First Quarter

Funcom has released their first quarter finances for 2015, and the results are a bit of a mixed bag. Revenue fell over the first quarter from the same time last year, down from $3.8 million in 2014 to $2.7 million. Despite this drop, Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization came out higher, $487 thousand compared to $451 thousand. In line with revenue falling, Funcom was also able to cut operating costs down to $2.2 million, $1.4 million down from the same point nearly a year ago.

Over on the operations side, Funcom’s bread and butter continues to be its three profitable MMOs (The Secret World, Age of Conan, and Anarchy Online). Lego Minifigures Online is set to launch on tablets this summer, however the game will be undergoing a business transition to buy to play instead of its original free to play. In the report, Funcom admits to overestimating the buying power of its target audience, and has committed to making changes to improve on player satisfaction.

(Source: Funcom)

Lego Minifigures Online Relaunching As Buy To Play

Lego Minifigures Online will be relaunching as a buy to play game, after a reveal by Funcom that the free to play aspect had a “detrimental effect on gameplay and kids’ enjoyment of the game.” The news comes alongside the announcement that Lego will see a launch on PC, iOS, Android, Mac, and Linux.

During an initial run as a free-to-play game on the PC, Funcom has been gathering valuable player feedback and have been able to review in detail how various components of the game’s content, gameplay and business model have played out.

Anyone who has previously purchased something in Lego Minifigures Online will be upgraded to the full version once it goes buy to play, with refunds offered where requested. Players who haven’t spent anything will need to buy the game to continue playing.

(Source: Lego Minifigures)

Funcom Extends Issue Pack To Current Players

If the last month has taught us anything, it’s that current players don’t take kindly to being cut out of lucrative deals. Funcom’s announced sale of the base game plus four additional issues for $20 ruffled more than a few feathers when it was revealed that the sale was for new accounts only.

Thankfully the outrage has been heard and Funcom has extended the sale to everyone. Up until March 31st, you’ll be able to get your hands on Issues 5-8 for $20. This sale is completed through the Funcom account management page and not through the in-game store.

(Source: The Secret World)

Funcom Q4 2014 Finances Released

Funcom last week released their fourth quarter finances and the results are mixed. Revenue for the quarter amounted to $2.94 million, an increase of $288 thousand over the previous quarter thanks to strong results from The Secret World, Age of Conan, and Anarchy Online. As part of Funcom’s ongoing restructuring, the company’s work-for-hire business is being sold off with the results not materializing until the second quarter of 2015.

Promotions lead to strong sales in Age of Conan over the fourth quarter, although sales fell year over year, while The Secret World released Issue #10 and two holiday events. LEGO Minifigures saw an increase of players, however is still lagging behind internal targets for sales. The iOS beta for LEGO Minifgures will become more widely available.

(Source: Funcom)

The Secret World Letter Focuses On User Experience

Joel Bylos is back to deliver the February Game Director’s letter for The Secret World. If you haven’t been following recent events, the Funcom team has been focusing on improving the new user experience as well as the upcoming launch of Issue #11.

The revamped experience has expanded slightly in scope by improving the tutorials in the beginning and smoothing out the difficulty curve. When we go back and change things, we also find other ways of improving the early game experience.

Foremost, Funcom is addressing the long kill-times once players leave the opening Kingsmouth area, from 7 to 25 seconds according to their statistics to kill a standard enemy. In addition, the team is reducing population in some of the more crowded areas. Mission rewards have also been reconfigured and streamlined, with the story mode now appropriately handing out goodies up until the end of Transylvania in which the player will receive their first epic weapon.

Also in the works is Issue #11, set to be the finale in the Tokyo storyline. Players will learn more about the Orochi, fighting their way to the top of a randomized tower with secret floors to discover along the way.

You can read everything at the link below.

(Source: The Secret World)

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