Funcom, SCi/Eidos Agree To Co-Publish Conan MMO

Norwegian-headquartered developer Funcom announced that it has signed a co-publishing agreement with SCi/Eidos for the upcoming massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), Age of Conan. The new agreement will find SCi/Eidos publishing the boxed version of the game in North America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Funcom will retain the digital distribution rights to Age of Conan, and will operate servers and provide customer service for the game, as well as collect and retain subscription revenues. The PC version of Age of Conan, which is currently being positioned as a showpiece for Windows Vista, is still undergoing beta testing. Additionally, both companies noted that they will cooperate to bring the game to the console market as well, and that Age of Conan will launch between March and May 2007. The contract also established expected specific sales targets, though these numbers were not released publicly. “We are very excited to work with SCi/Eidos on the publishing of Age of Conan,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. “SCi/Eidos has proven their strength in PR, marketing and distribution with series like Hitman and Tomb Raider, and we couldn’t be more pleased with our co-publishing partner. Our two companies share a strong commitment and ambition for the game, and we feel certain the partnership will increase the likelihood of success and the total sales potential for the game.” “We have strong faith in the sales potential for Age of Conan, and by combining the knowledge and reach of both SCi/Eidos and Funcom we believe the game will become a great success,” said Ian Livingstone, Product Acquisition Director of Eidos. “The many E3 awards, the extensive worldwide press coverage, the vibrant online player community, the strong global brand and Funcom’s extensive MMO experience are all factors which bode well for the future of Age of Conan, and we will do our best to contribute to making it into a successful MMO franchise in the years to come.”