Funcom Goes Casual

Game developer Funcom has announced that it has established SweetRobot, a subsidiary company that will focus on casual and social games.

Funcom, a Norwegian developer best known for MMORPGs Anarchy Online and Age of Conan, will continue to focus on the hardcore market while SweetRobot explores less traditional MMOs. SweetRobot’s first project, Pets vs. Monsters, describes itself as a “free-to-play MMO Adventure”. Pets vs. Monsters will target 8-12 year olds and promises to include some familiar RPG mechanics, exploring, and pet collecting.

Beta for Pets vs. Monsters is expected to open later this month. I skimmed over the site and it looks interesting. Might be worth keeping your eyes on if you’re a kid looking for something new to play, or a parent with kids seeking an MMO.

Conan Habla Espanol

Funcom has recently announced the launch of a Spanish community forum for their upcoming MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. This announcement comes just a week after launching the new official site for the game at http://www.ageofconan.com/.

In addition, Funcom will be launching a Spanish localized version of the highly anticipated game simultaneously with the North American, English, German and French on May 20th, 2008. Spanish speaking gamers can now look forward to playing Conan in their native language, and can join in the community hype at the official Spanish community forum!

Conan Release Set

Funcom has announced that their upcoming MMORPG, Age of Conan, has once again been delayed to allow for more development time.

The new release date is May 20, 2008, which allows for 8 more weeks to polish the title before launch. Overall, Funcom reports very positive feedback from Age of Conan so far, but feels that a little extra time will greatly benefit the game.

New Conan Site

Eidos and Funcom have recently launched a revamped Age of Conan site located at http://www.ageofconan.com/.

The site is filled with videos, screenshots, links and more. If you’re anticipating Age of Conan, make sure to stop by and take a look!

Conan Collectors Edition Announced

Funcom and Eidos recently revealed that an Age of Conan Collector’s Edition will be available when the highly anticipated MMO launches in March.

This exciting limited edition box set features exclusive assets and plenty of unique in game items. In addition to the game itself, the box comes with an impressive art book, the original soundtrack, a bonus DVD, a faux leather map of Hyboria, and additional gamekeys which can be given to MMO friends. Making this offer even more limited, all of the Collectors Edition copies will be printed in one batch, so once they’re gone they’re history!

The pack will retail for $89.95 in North America, and will be available at retail and online stores on March 25, 2008.

10/11/07 Issue at Just-RPG

We’ve just posted the latest issue on Just-RPG, packed with some exciting content. Make sure to sign up for our Two Worlds giveaway, since it ends next week!

http://www.just-rpg.com/

• BioShock Review
• Conan Preview
• Hard to be a God Screens
• Orcs & Elves Developer’s Diary and Screenshots
• Two Worlds Giveaway
• And More!!!

Age of Conan Delayed Again

Funcom has announced that their highly anticipated MMORPG, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, has been delayed… again.

The game has undergone a series of delays and is now expected to be released on March 28, 2008. This latest delays comes as a result of feedback from Beta testers.

“We naturally regret that we have to push back Age of Conan,” Funcom CEO, Trond Arne Aas, said. He continued, “We are fully committed to delivering games with absolute qualities.” In the end, Funcom promises that the delays will result in a superior product and that players will be in for a special experience when Age of Conan is finally released.

Age of Conan has received praise from Beta testers and the press alike. Several staff members here at Just-RPG have been able to play/see some of the game on various occasions, including myself, and we were all impressed. It seemed to do a good job of bringing the Conan universe to life and featured a unique combat system. If you’re interested in checking the game out, there are still openings in the Beta, so sign up on the official site below!

http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=frontend.show&template=main