Here in the States the world of MMOs sort of begins and ends with World Of Warcraft. We've seen any number of titles come out trying to suck the teet of Azeroth to little or no avail. Guild Wars and LotRO seem to be the only ones who have managed to make a dent in the landscape but you can already find LotRO on some shelves for as little as $9.99.
Funcom's new kid on the block is off to a great start as they announced that Age Of Conan has already sold over 400,000 copies and is garnering great review scores. This is a great sign for other MMOs in development and for PC gaming in general. Everyone keeps trying to dismiss it as dead but for all I can tell it's still alive and well.
Press release after the jump.
Over 400,000 gamers have entered game – First 20 reviews with an average review score above 90%Durham, USA – May 26th, 2008 – Funcom is proud to announce that Age of Conan is one of the fastest selling PC games of all time. More than 400.000 gamers have entered Hyboria over the last few days, with almost half coming from the North American market. This amazing figure for a PC game shows that the positive pre-order trend has transferred into actual sales, and people from all over the world are now flocking to the most savage, sexy and brutal MMO ever created.
Over the weekend an astounding amount of concurrent gamers were logged on to the game, making Age of Conan one of the busiest MMOs in the western hemisphere. With stock flying out of several retail chains, Funcom expects the number to increase in the days to come. In addition to the many gamers logging in, there was also substantial traffic to the Age of Conan websites, with more than 2,2 million unique visitors during the last ten days.
As a result of the great launch, players and press have been raving about the unique qualities of the game, and the first 20 reviews give Age of Conan an average score above 90%. The first US reviews are also live, with Gamezone.com giving the game an Editor’s Choice Award, a 9.4 of 10 score, while heralding Age of Conan as a “Benchmark MMO”. Sci-Fi.com was also an early mover and gave the game a straight A, stating that “If Robert E. Howard had been a game designer.., this is the Conan he would have invented.”
“The initial sales and reviews are very encouraging, and it’s great to see that so many are enjoying Age of Conan,” said Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “This is just the beginning, and we already look forward to massive updates and cool new features. We believe our focus on making Conan unique and groundbreaking is a key reason for the initial success. This is a focus we will keep and reinforce, and players can expect continued quality and innovation as we enter a new era for the game.”
For more information about the game, please visit www.ageofconan.com.
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ABOUT FUNCOM- Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC, consoles and mobile platforms. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include 'The Longest Journey, 'Anarchy Online, 'Dreamfall: The Longest Journey' and “Age of Conan”. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.anarchy-online.com www.dreamfall.com, www.darkdaysarecoming.com or www.ageofconan.com. Funcom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.
ABOUT CONAN PROPERTIES INTERNATIONAL - Conan Properties International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc., controls all rights to Conan, associated characters and the Hyborian world, as created by Robert E. Howard and expanded upon by acclaimed authors and artists for decades. Conan is considered to be the world's best-known fantasy character. For more information about Conan Properties International, visit www.conan.com. For information about Paradox Entertainment Inc., visit www.paradox-entertainment.com.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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