For a time, there were concerns about the Norwegian game studio Funcom. Now, the MMO studio has recovered and is even hiring new employees for further projects. How did they achieve this?
It only takes one really good idea that resonates well with players, and a game studio like Funcom can forget the worries that had piled up from aging MMORPGs and game flops.
From the Threat of Bankruptcy to a Successful Studio
Why was Funcom on the brink of collapse? In 2015, the game studio Funcom was in very dire straits. Weak revenues from online games Lego Minifigures Online, Age of Conan, The Secret World, and Anarchy Online put the company in financial troubles:
- The MMORPGs had aged.
- Titles like The Secret World had never really been successful.
- Additionally, they had to deal with a scandal that brought the tax authorities upon them.
- Most notably, Lego Minifigures Online created a significant financial hole for Funcom, as the title failed to attract its intended audience, especially children.
The studio was facing bankruptcy.
Plan Made – Plan Executed
This is how Funcom was saved: For almost a year, the company sought strategies to avert the impending closure.
Ultimately, they decided to target the “open-world survival” game market, which at that time was opened up by titles like Rust, H1Z1, or ARK: Survival Evolved. They viewed these as “small to medium titles” – there was still no dominant title in the genre.
Funcom analyzed in early 2016: There is space for us.
If Funcom fully focused on streamers and leveraged their MMO experience as a strength, they could be successful here. And Funcom still held the Conan license from the old “Age of Conan” days – which would fit perfectly in an “Open World Survival” setting.
In May 2016, the company then announced that it had received a private investment of 6.3 million US dollars and reduced liabilities by 7.7 million US dollars. This allowed for the planned survival game Conan Exiles to be developed in peace.
And it took off like a bomb in early 2017. The survival gameplay, the dark setting, and the focus on adult players were very well received.
So well that Funcom stated in the financial report of the first quarter of 2018 that over 1.4 million copies were sold in Early Access, making Conan Exiles a bestseller for the studio.
The rebranding of The Secret World was also well received by players.
Funcom Has a Bright Future Ahead
What does this mean for the fans? Due to this success, the company is now able to hire 40 more employees in the studios in Oslo, Norway, and North Carolina. They will not only work on expanding the currently available games but also on future titles.
For release in October, the tactical game Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is planned, and another game related to Conan as well as a coop shooter are also in the works. Some are also hoping for Anarchy Online 2.
Fans of Funcom can thus look forward to an exciting future.
