Funcom closing its Secret World Beijing studio

Funcom's restructuring efforts continue onwards this week, as the MMO company announced that it is closing down its Beijing studio following the completion of The Secret World. The company's Beijing studio handled the art and animation for the struggling MMO, which dropped its subscription model last month in a bid to secure more players. Funcom's Raleigh, North Carolina-based outfit will now be in charge of producing and delivering visual assets for any upcoming updates to The Secret World, as well as updates for Age of Conan and Anarchy Online. However, Funcom says that there has been a staff reduction at its Raleigh studio in certain departments, as part of this restructuring. Meanwhile, the company's Montreal studio is working on unannounced tablet and smartphone games, as Funcom looks to enter the mobile games sector.