Tag: Funcom

Funcom Offices Raided By Economic Crime Unit


jomali

News out of Norway is that Funcom employees showing up to work this morning were met by the economic crimes unit Økokrim. Police raided the Funcom offices, retrieving boxes full of seized documents. According to News in English, the raid is related to an investigation over whether or not Funcom breached disclosure requirements related to The Secret World, as well as who had access to inside information leading up to the game’s release. Funcom is also being charged with negligent bookkeeping according to a news post on the Oslo stock exchange, from which the company has been delisted until the investigation is complete.

This isn’t the first time that The Secret World has landed someone in hot water. Funcom’s former CEO Tron Aas came under investigation after he left his position and offloaded his shares of Funcom the day before The Secret World launched and Funcom’s stock plummeted. Employees have reportedly been sent home for the day.

(Source: News in English)

Funcom's Third Quarter Finances


jomali

 

Funcom has released their third quarter results for 2013, and as usual the results are a mix of the good and the bad. Revenues in the third quarter amounted to $5.3 million, a decrease over the same time last year when The Secret World initially launched. A significant operating cost decrease combined with tax credits allowed for a $2.2 million cash flow compared to a slight loss in the previous quarter.

The main source of revenue for this past quarter came from The Secret World and Age of Conan, consistent with last quarter but lower than last year. Revenue in all games went down due to high profile game releases including Grand Theft Auto V. Work continues on the engine upgrade for Anarchy Online, and further initiatives are being pursued across all titles despite a relatively stable quarter for The Secret World and Age of Conan.

Funcom’s upcoming title, Lego Minifigures, is maintaining its development schedule, and was met with a positive response at its public showing in Cologne, Germany. The company expects lower revenue in the next quarter.

Nab The Secret World Massive Edition For $30


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If you haven’t picked up The Secret World, now is your chance to get your hands on an amazing deal. Funcom has made the Massive Edition available on Steam, and until November 1st you can get the whole package at 50% off. The Secret World Massive Edition includes the base game and four DLC “issues” it comes with, as well as issues five, six, seven, and the plague doctor Halloween costume. After November 1st, this package will go back up to its regular price of $59.99.

(Source: Steam)

 

MMOrning Shots: Dragon's Spineless


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Today’s MMOrning Shot comes from Funcom, with Age of Conan’s 4.0 update and the release of the Dragon’s Spine. Dragon’s Spine is the first in a series of updates that will bring new content centered around the desert lands to the south and west of the city of Pteion. Check it out on Steam or from Age of Conan’s website.

MMOrning Shots: Dragon’s Spineless


Age_of_Conan_Dragons_Spine_Tomb

Today’s MMOrning Shot comes from Funcom, with Age of Conan’s 4.0 update and the release of the Dragon’s Spine. Dragon’s Spine is the first in a series of updates that will bring new content centered around the desert lands to the south and west of the city of Pteion. Check it out on Steam or from Age of Conan’s website.

Age of Conan Reveals Great Hyborian Race


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Funcom has released the latest Age of Conan monthly Game Director Letter, noting that the planned server merger has been delayed due to the team moving offices. Also on the plate for this month is the Great Hyborian Race, which it turns out is not a new race of playable characters. Instead, The Great Hyborian Race involves the creation of a new Blood and Glory server, challenging players to race each other to the top, with prizes awarded for the first to reach level 80 in each class, as well as rewards for players who meet a certain PvP threshold.

During the Great Hyborian Race, we will be asking players to roll a new, fresh character on a Blood and Glory ruleset server (completely new server) and race to the top in PvE and PvP. For the duration of the event, you will be unable to use Offline Levels and we will place restrictions on the use of XP potions and instances.

Players are encouraged to work together with their guild, boosting each other while simultaneously murdering your potential competition.

(Source: Age of Conan)

Anarchy Online Engine Upgrade Is Real, And Coming


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The Anarchy Online engine upgrade is on its way. Stop laughing, I’m serious, it’s coming, and sooner than you think. Funcom has released their monthly behind the scenes for Anarchy Online, revealing that closed beta isn’t just coming, it is practically here. Signps are expected to open soon for the closed beta, during which players will (understandably) be under a nondisclosure agreement. Following a period of testing, the update will go into open beta, after which it will launch to the general public. If you already know how the beta process works, ignore that previous paragraph.

Also in the news for Anarchy Online is an accompanying cash shop revamp and new player experience, the former of which is available now and the latter of which will accompany the new engine.

(Source: Anarchy Online)

Funcom Q2 2013 Finances


jomali

Funcom has released their 2nd quarter finances for 2013, and the results are certainly figures. So for the sake of brevity, let’s go over some figures, shall we? Revenues in Q2 more than doubled those from the same time last year, however Funcom has yet to return to a positive cash flow. Revenues reached 5.4 million, however earnings before interest in tax -253 thousand, a massive improvement over the -47 million from same time last year. Funcom began a restructuring process earlier this year which concluded in May and has left the company close to cash flow neutral, burning just forty two thousand compared to the four million from last quarter. More cash flow improvements are expected to be seen in the latter half of the year.

On the game side, Age of Conan and The Secret World continue to be Funcom’s major sources of revenue, with The Secret World noted specifically for positively affecting the developer’s cash flow. Last quarter, Funcom consolidated its studios into a single location in Durham, North Carolina, focusing on running the existing portfolio as well as working on additional titles.

Funcom’s continuing projects include structuring the Dreamworld engine so that it can be used in mobile and tablet systems. Work continues (allegedly) on the engine updates for Anarchy Online. Funcom’s upcoming games include LEGO Minifigures Online as well as a slate of mobile titles and work-for-hire operations that encompass lower development periods and faster sources of revenue.

(Source: Funcom Release)

Funcom Director Letter Details TSW Anniversary


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Boy, The Secret World, has it really been one year since you graced us with your launch? Despite some hardship along the way, our good friend Joel over at Funcom is proud of what the team has accomplished over the past year. July 3rd marks the beginning of the Guardians of Gaia event, for The Secret World’s first anniversary. The event will task players with defeating the Guardians, the second line of defense for the planet against the Filth. Why are players fighting the guardians of the planet? That depends on your faction, but it primarily has to do with the Guardians breaking the secrecy of The Secret World, that they consider human casualties as an acceptable collateral to stopping The Filth, and that they aren’t very good at their job.

The event will bring in bonuses, gifts, and discounts to all players. Additionally, anyone who has ever played a Funcom game will be able to access The Secret World for a week. The event will kick off Issue #7: A Dream To Kill, where players will uncover a dark force that threatens the entire world.

Check out the whole letter at the link below.

(Source: TSW Director Letter)

Age of Conan Director Letter


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Funcom has released Age of Conan’s Game Director Letter for June 2013, discussing the upcoming server mergers, achievements, and more. Foremost, the process to bring all of Age of Conan under one mega-server is still going according to plan, taken on in phases in order to reduce downtime as much as possible. The next phase of the operation is to merge the US and EU servers together, which should be completed by the end of the summer. As part of the merger, Funcom will be archiving characters that have been inactive for a very long time. Note that this is different from when Funcom simply deleted low level, inactive characters nearly three years ago. An archived character will be accessible, according to the post, it will simply take a bit longer to load them the first time as they are pulled from archive.

Also noted in the letter are upcoming stability fixes and dungeon revamps. In response to community feedback, Funcom is looking into adding achievements to Age of Conan and is soliciting suggestions on how they should be implemented.

(Source: Director Letter)