Breaking News: Age of Conan Delayed Eight Weeks

Tags: in

Updated Mon, Jan 21, 2008 by Cody Bye

The current massively multiplayer gaming market is a cutthroat place. Games need to be polished and stable on launch, or the entire project may sink. Unfortunately, game developers often are required to make a decision about the overall quality of their product and whether it should be released on a particular release date or not. It seems that the Funcom crew has opted to give their team more time to polish the game, and the have pushed the release date back to May 20th, 2008. Gamers will now need to wait eight more weeks to play the game, but the final product will almost certainly be a better, more polished version of the game.

At the moment, the Ten Ton Hammer staff is working on getting some follow-up info on this announcement and the prestige classes. Please be patient and we'll bring you the details as soon as they are made available to us.

Here's the official announcement:

Funcom sets new release date for Age of Conan

- The highly anticipated MMO gets eight more weeks of polish -

Durham, USA – January 21, 2008 – Funcom announces a new release date for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The highly anticipated MMO receives 8 more weeks of development, allowing Funcom to deliver a more polished MMO experience when the game launches on the 20th of May 2008. Despite great feedback on vital aspects like immersion, fun factor and the exciting combat system, the management of Funcom has decided to polish the game even more. Eight weeks of development work is therefore added to stress game systems and polish the game further leading up to launch.

Funcom is fully committed to its communities and the quality-level they demand and deserve, and has previously postponed the Age of Conan launch. The changes implemented as the game was moved to a 2008 release have proven to greatly improve the experience for newcomers, while introducing a more involving and accessible character progression throughout the game. Press and beta feedback in the aftermath of these changes has been very positive. As a result, the ongoing presentations of the game have continued to increase the anticipation for Age of Conan. To date, Age of Conan has received more than 20 magazine covers and 15 industry awards, and is widely considered to be one of the most anticipated MMOs in development.

Funcom has great faith in the Age of Conan game, and feels certain that further polish is in the best interest of the hundreds of thousands of gamers who follow the game. “The companies standing apart in the gaming market today are those with a relentless drive to achieve quality. Even though we regret delaying the launch, I am certain we made the right choice. I hope that our followers and fans will support our decision, and respect our commitment to quality,” said Gaute Godager, Producer and Game Director of Age of Conan.

Funcom will also continue the beta efforts for the title with continued testing on its large server parks in North America and Europe. Players can already sign up at pre-order programs in several countries and enjoy the recently released website at www.ageofconan.com, displaying part of the wealth of marketing and game material already prepared for the game. A special Collectors Edition of the retail box is available for pre-order at select retailers. Thousands of players have been invited to the beta of the game, and the number will continue to go up as Age of Conan moves towards launch. If you too want to join the Beta of Age of Conan you may sign up for the Beta on www.ageofconan.com.