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Funcom back to business as usual after Økokrim document seizures
Yesterday's Økokrim raid on Funcom's Oslo development office is in the company's rear-view mirror according to director of communications Erling Ellingsen. Ellingsen told Massively that while Funcom is "fully cooperating" with the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, it's now back to business as usual. Production on all Funcom games continues as normal, and the company remains fully committed to games in development as well as the continued operation and updating of existing live games. Yesterday's events is not expected to have any impact on the company's continued operation or the development on future releases. Funcom's key priorities are the development of the upcoming LEGO Minifigures Online, as well as supporting and expanding on the live games Age of Conan, The Secret World and Anarchy Online with new and exciting content. In terms of The Secret World, developers are currently in the process of finalizing its ninth content update, which will send players on a grand adventure through Tokyo, and Funcom will be releasing new information and screenshots from this update soon. Trading in the company stock was only suspended temporarily yesterday, and trading was back to normal shortly thereafter.
Funcom restructures Montreal branch, keeps games operational
Funcom is taking hedge trimmers to its Montreal offices today. Senior Game Designer Tanya Short posted the following this afternoon on her Twitter account: "When your branch shuts down, I guess it's less like being fired and more like honorable discharge. Thanks for going down with the ship! Bye!" Massively contacted Funcom for an official statement. Director of Communications Erling Ellingsen confirmed layoffs but assured us that Funcom's games will continue on: "We are currently in a restructuring process and the Montreal office is part of that process along with our other branches. This process unfortunately involves a reduction in staff, but the studio is not closing down. It will continue on, but in a different form and function than today. Anarchy Online, as well as The Secret World and Age of Conan, will definitely continue to operate and be an important part of the company's focus going forward." He said that the studio would provide more details when it had finished with the process. Funcom previously stated that it was restructuring the company to make it more profitable. The Montreal office was established in 2009 and employed 110 people.
Funcom: Secret World 'not going free-to-play any time soon' [Updated]
Funcom's still riding the roller-coaster that is The Secret World, but as of today the Norwegian development firm has no plans to do away with the game's subscription fee. "No it's not going free-to-play any time soon," Funcom communications director Erling Ellingsen told Eurogamer. "There's currently no plans for making it free-to-play." The game is in fact profitable as a subscription title, Ellingsen says, and creative director Ragnar Tornquist says that Funcom has content plans laid out through May of 2013. Tornquist and game director Joel Bylos spend a good bit of the interview talking about the challenges TSW faced last summer, from mediocre reviews to the need to launch and enable continued development to the stiff MMO competition. "MMOs are hugely expensive, and of course Guild Wars 2 has sold a lot, and of course it's a big success. That game cost a lot of money and they're going to have to sell a lot of copies, especially without a subscription model. It is a dangerous path," Tornquist said. "It might be the right path for MMOs; as a consumer, as a player, I appreciate it. As a developer I'm with Joel in thinking that it is unfortunate for a lot of smaller companies or medium-sized companies." [Update: TSW may not be going F2P soon, but it's certainly getting cheaper. Tipster Brant points out that the game is currently 50% off on Steam.]
Funcom layoffs confirmed as temporary [Updated]
Apparently having suffered a mediocre launch with The Secret World and a severe dip in its stock value, Funcom has announced temporary layoffs to its staff. The layoffs are part of a company-wide cost-cutting strategy in response to TSW's failure to hit expected sales scenarios, which Funcom predicted in a press release earlier this month. The layoffs appear to confirm parts of the anonymous tip we referenced in our Secret World column last Thursday. Funcom Director of Communications Erling Ellingsen confirmed the layoffs to Gamer.no, stating that operations on Funcom's three MMOs will continue and that The Secret World's revenue model will continue as planned. Unconfirmed reports put the layoffs at 50% to 60% of the studio's workforce. "We're in the middle of the process and we can not go into more detail now," Ellingsen said. On its Twitter feed, Funcom posted the following: "Thank you for your warm thoughts and support. More information to come soon." [Update: Funcom has made a new statement to Massively in light of the layoffs, stressing that the layoffs are temporary. "As we announced in the stock notice that went out on August 10th, Funcom is in the process of reducing operational costs and this process includes temporary layoffs as well as other initiatives. As we are currently in the middle of this process we can not provide any further comment at the present time. Rest assured however that we have long-term plans for the company and that we remain fully committed to all of our games. We aim to provide more information soon."]
Funcom temporarily takes The Secret World Facebook tie-in offline
Earlier today Funcom pulled its new Secret War game from Facebook. The minigame launched yesterday in an attempt to drum up interest in the upcoming The Secret World MMO. We've received a few news tips and heard a few rumors as to why the game was taken offline, so we decided to contact Funcom directly for the full scoop. Director of communications Erling Ellingsen gave us the low-down: What's happened is that the activity levels on sharing to Facebook has been significantly higher than expected, and we have been asked by Facebook to make certain adjustments. So we are taking down the experience now and will be bringing it up again once the necessary adjustments have been made. Even shortly after launch yesterday we had tens of thousands of people playing and sharing actively, so the interest for the experience has been very high. And there you have it. We'll update the story as Funcom brings The Secret War back online or if there are any further developments. [Thanks to Adam for the tip!]
Massively Exclusive Interview: The Secret World to open the flood gates of info soon
Conspiracy theorists rejoice! Funcom's Lovecraftian horror MMO known as The Secret World is looking to get substantially less secretive over the next little while, and we've got a new interview with Funcom's Erling Ellingsen to prove it. The company's Director of Communications sat down with us to talk about the plans to reveal The Secret World to, well, the world, and if you're even the slightest bit curious about the skill-based MMO headed up by legendary developer Ragnar Tornquist, you'll want to follow along with us after the cut. Ellingsen spills the beans about the title's unique marketing campaign and also hints at the fact that we'll be treated to more traditional (and game-focused) information -- including gameplay footage -- in the coming months.
The Secret World broadcasts footage from the streets of Kingsmouth
What horrors lie in Kingsmouth when the fog comes to rest? Well that's for you to find out! Thanks to a tip from a certain Erling Ellingsen, we've been pointed to a brand new trailer for The Secret World. It seems that someone has hacked into the security cameras around Kingsmouth, giving us a look at the town's various areas. All of this is set to an unknown narrator explaining exactly how Kingsmouth turned from a small, All-American town into the black pit that it is today. It's important to note, however, that this video is only a preview of the Kingsmouth location -- it's not a gameplay trailer. Erling attached this "quotable quote" in his e-mail: "This is a part of a ramp up of the communication we're doing around The Secret World. We wanted to give gamers a very quick glimpse into the game and the universe, without giving away exactly how the game looks in motion and in all its glory. We're saving that for GDC actually." So GDC it is then! We'll be there! But, while you're all waiting for GDC, go on over to Gamespot and learn more about Kingsmouth. (Also, we saw your Lovecraft Lane street sign! We see your references!)
Funcom threatening to delete noob Age of Conan characters
When it comes to character deletions, just about every MMO out there has a clause in their Terms of Service that indicates they have the right to delete your characters at any time and for no reason whatsoever. With that said, there are very few companies that choose to exercise that right. Up until now it has been Square Enix as part of Final Fantasy XI (even then they occasionally restore characters as part of 'welcome back' promotions), and Alganon's new "trial" which allows you to play for 30 days free before they wipe your character if you don't subscribe. However, as you can see from the above image, Funcom has opted to join the ranks of "will delete characters" in regards to Age of Conan. When contacted for comment about whether or not this was true, Erling Ellingsen, Director of Communications for Funcom said, "Yes, that's correct. It's a database clean-up. We're going through all accounts that's (sic) been inactive for a long period of time, deleting characters under level 20 to free space in the database."
Subscribe to Age of Conan and receive The Secret World beta access
Funcom recently announced their plans to get older players back into Age of Conan and boost multi-month subscription rates. Players with inactive subscriptions are invited to retry the game for two weeks and receive a double experience bonus. Those who sign up for multi-month subscriptions will receive these additional bonuses: 3-month sub: Beta access to The Secret World 6-month sub: Beta access + in-game helmet that boosts experience gain by 10% 12-month sub: Beta access + helmet + a free copy of Conan expansion Rise of the Godslayer Age of Conan has received many updates in the year and a half since its release. However, MMO players can be an unforgiving bunch, so these incentives to give the game another shot are quite necessary. And it's extra-smart given all the excitement around The Secret World. Considering how many players would be willing to pay for beta access, a subscription to a vastly improved AoC is just icing on the cake. For those interested in catching up on AoC, check out the most recent game director's letter, new content, and revised subscription options. Have a burning question for Funcom about this or anything else? Ask it here. Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
Funcom receives grant to create extreme sports MMO
In between navigating the sometimes-choppy waters of Age of Conan and working toward the launch of The Secret World, Funcom is having a busy year, but it looks like they are adding one more project to the pile as well. Funcom has been given a grant worth NOK 1.5 million -- $262,000 US -- in order to create a new extreme sports MMO. Funcom's Director of Communications Erling Ellingsen says "Yes, I can confirm that Funcom is working on a new project called Board with the World. This will be a free-to-play social MMO focusing on the world of extreme sports. [...] First and foremost we will be focusing on snowboarding, with the possibility of adding different sports later. We also want this to be a social world rich with different types of media content and pop-cultural elements such as music, video and even fashion. It is definitely exciting, and we look forward to revealing more on this later." Work on the project is expected to begin in January 2010, and we can expect more details as it progresses.
More Age of Conan subscription incentives coming
Funcom's Erling Ellingsen recently informed Eurogamer about future Age of Conan subscription "initiatives" being planned, which are to follow the new price reduction of multi-month subscriptions . It's of particular interest that Funcom is planning further pricing specials, as they've been doing a lot to bring players back to the game ever since launch. Should their efforts pay off, it's likely that The Secret World will see a significant development boost, which is something we'd be very happy about as fans of Ragnar Tornquist. However, nobody knows yet if the current "initiatives" have been helping, as Erling wasn't able to comment on current numbers. So until some hard numbers come in -- hopefully of the positive nature -- it's anybody's guess on how the game will perform. It's possible that there's a free-to-play model in the game's future, especially since it wouldn't be the first time a Funcom game has gone that route. However, only time will tell where King Conan and his followers end up.
New The Secret World info at PAX to be 'biggest thing yet'
It looks like GamesCom won't be getting all the late summer glory this year, as PAX now has two large MMO events tied around its massive people-crushing finger. The first is of course the Star Wars: The Old Republic public demo in the main hall, but the second seems no less grand.Funcom's Erling Ellingsen has told VG247 that the reveal for The Secret World at PAX will be "the biggest thing on TSW yet." which is certainly a statement that delivers a lot of excitement. However, beyond the confirmation of new details being revealed in Seattle, WA on September 4th through the 6th, Erling's lips were sealed.Rest assured that Massively will be speaking with Funcom, potentially with a high amount of fervor. So if you're looking for that new info come the first weekend of September, it should be awaiting your acumen right here.
Free to play an option for Age of Conan
It would appear that for Funcom, going the way of free-to-play with Age of Conan isn't entirely off the table. At least so says Erling Ellingson in a recent interview with IncGamers. There's certainly a precedent with Anarchy Online having gone that route long ago and its director -- at that time -- was also Craig Morrison. So really, all bets are off on this one.Still, for the time being subscription remains the primary method of play. Our guess? Funcom is probably waiting for the first expansion or two before opening the original game for free to play access, much like they did with Anarchy Online. So if anything, this probably won't be happening for a couple more years. That is, unless things rapidly go south for the Norwegian games developer. But with The Secret World looking quite interesting. they've got a good chance at making a comeback.[via MMORPG]
Age of Conan to unveil new expansion at GamesCom
The first proper expansion for Age of Conan will be unveiled this August at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany. Funcom's Erling Ellingsen confirmed the news:"Yes, we will be revealing the first expansion for Age of Conan at the GamesCom show in August. We have lots of exciting stuff to reveal and Conan players and gamers in general are in for a real treat, but for now, our lips are sealed until then!"The unveil will feature in-game footage and a preview of the quests, monsters, new environments and other additions that will make up the expansion. This news comes not long after the release of a major content patch for AoC, and should help keep that positive momentum going.
"No retreat, no surrender" for Age of Conan
Age of Conan's Game Director Craig Morrison recently had an interview at Gamespy to dicuss his game's future. In the end though, he ended up speaking more about the past, and in particular, past problems and mistakes that have now been seen to. Technical game client issues, a lack of PvE content at certain levels, and an unsatisfying PvP system were all cited as causes of people turning their back on AoC -- followers of the game since launch would agree with all of these things being issues -- but Morrison went through this list and explained how his team has improved the game on each of these fronts. The embedded video, featuring Erling Ellingsen, shows off some of the current and planned improvements.As for talk of the future, Morrison reminded us that Xibaluku is coming for the PvE junkies, and mentioned the PvP resource system, which should bring a new level of interaction to PvP gameplay. He believes that the biggest issue still remaining from launch is to do with a shortage of good gear, and an itemization overhaul is in the works to address this. We can also expect some more guild and community functions later in the year. The stage is set for a comeback; now we'll just have to wait and see if the players come to the party.
Funcom reaffirms commitment to AoC on PC and Xbox 360 following layoffs
After the rumors of staffing cuts at Funcom turned out to be true last week, many of you may have been predicting bad things for the future of Age of Conan -- or at least, enough of you to have Erling Ellingsen provide MTV's Multiplayer blog with a short statement regarding the health of their flagship title:Our aim is for this to not affect development of 'Age of Conan,' or any of our other games, at all. We are sticking firmly to our plans. The Xbox 360 version of the game is still in production, but as before we are not committing to any specific dates. I wish I could give you more information, but I can't at the time being.This backs up what Funcom had to say last week, that this is simply "business as usual" and not anything to be concerned about. It is good to hear about the Xbox 360 version once in a while, even if essentially nothing was revealed other than "it's still coming". We're pretty sure, however, that most of our readers that are interested in AoC haven't been held back due to waiting on the console release, because let's face it -- if you're an MMO-fan, you've got a PC. The 360 release stands to reach a new audience, one which will cause Conan's roleplaying-racism to join together with real-life racism through the magic of Xbox Live, and might just make the internets spontaneously combust.
Daedren pulls no punches on Erling Ellingsen interview
A few weeks ago, we pointed the Massively readers to an article entitled Age of Conan: A post mortem analysis, written by the Daedren over at r1ftgaming. In that lengthy article, Daedren gave his top reasons for AoC's demise, and even offered it as a lesson learned for future developers. Comments on his site, and here at Massively were quite heated concerning players' malcontent with Age of Conan. Since then, Daedren was able to grab the attention of Funcom, and hence an interview with Product Manager Erling Ellingsen. In true Daedren style, he doesn't beat around the bush and asks the questions plaguing the minds of most former and current AoC subscribers. Where is this PvP system we've heard so much about? Why announce a new expansion when the current game still needs so much work?
Erling Ellingson confirms Age of Conan subscriber numbers, says thankyou
In another video from onlinewelten.com, again recorded over at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Erling Ellingson addresses the Age of Conan community directly. As we'd noted, there was debate as to whether the figure of 415,000 subscribers mentioned in the Funcom quarterly report presentation referred to August 14th or June 30th, but in this interview Ellingson has now confirmed AoC's active subscriber numbers as over 400,000. Working from the figure of 800,000 boxes sold, that gives a clear retention figure of around 50% right now.As well as talking at length about how good the launch was (yes, Erling, we know) Ellingson proceeds to reassure the audience that he and the other developers won't be resting on their laurels. He's obviously read the forums between giving these interviews, as two of the biggest issues are mentioned specifically: the PvP patch is due 'any moment now, cross your fingers' and the memory leak (arguably the biggest issue of all as it impacts even those who love the game as it is) is getting plenty of attention. There's also a flying mention of the new Funcom MMO, The Secret World. Check out the video after the cut. By the way, at time of writing, the video had been mistakenly captioned as a Warhammer Online interview. Whoops. Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
Erling Ellingsen steps up to the plate on Age of Conan forums
He may not be the most popular man in Age of Conan right now, but after this, you have to accord him at least a sliver of respect. Funcom Project Manager Erling Ellingsen made a personal appearance yesterday to give some answers on a thread where the atmosphere was, frankly, extremely hostile. The fact that after a warm-up that mentioned wanting to throw things at the screen whenever his face appeared, he began his opening comment 'My friends...' is also worthy of respect. He went on to provide some honest answers to concerns, assuring AoC players that features that weren't in at launch will be added (with a special mention of Drunken Brawling) and pointing out that WoW didn't have anything like the amount of end level content at launch that it does now. Ymir's Pass, we learn, is 'just about done', though Ellingsen wouldn't commit to a date, for the obvious reason that he'd get 'crucified' if it wasn't met.
Age of Conan rep talks Kingship, new zones, and more
The folks at Ten Ton Hammer met with Funcom Product Manager Erling Ellingsen at Comic Con over the weekend. Ellingsen described many of the planned updates to Age of Conan. We'd already heard about most of them, but this video interview is a good place to go for a round-up of what's to come.Ellingsen did reveal a tantalizing new detail about the Kingship system, though. If you're not familiar with Kingship, that's not surprising; it was only mentioned in one interview before now. It allows guilds to form alliances. Those alliances can build and fight over "legendary battle keeps." The new info: alliances can build "wonders of the world" in those keeps. We're intrigued by that idea; it sounds like something from Sid Meier's Civilization.Ellingsen also talked about plans to add more NPCs walking around guild cities, and to greatly expand visual customization options for the cities.
