Funcom Receives Grant For Online Winter Sports Game

Developer and publisher Funcom has been granted NOK 1.5 million (US$260,000) by the Norsk Filminstitutt to develop On the Edge of the World, an online free-to-play sports game which will, in part, promote Norwegian winter sports, starting with snowboarding. At launch, snowboarding will the the title's main focus, although Funcom and the Norsk Filminstitutt hope the game will be heavily modular, allowing a variety of sporting events to be eventually represented. According to a Norwegian-language press release on the Norsk Filminstitutt's official site, a prototype for the PC and Mac game is expected by December 31, 2010. The game's total development cost is estimated at NOK 6.127 million (US$1.059 million), meaning the grant comprises nearly a quarter of its planned budget. The Norsk Filminstitutt primarily deals with motion picture productions. A division of Norway's Ministry of Cultural Affairs, it aims to "preserve, support and distribute Norwegian and foreign films." Although On the Edge of the World is a game, it is intended to have some level of cross-media interactivity with television, film, and the sports it will promote. On the Edge of the World is being directed and produced by Jorgen Tharaldsen, a longtime Funcom employee who most recently served as product director on the MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.