Age of Conan goes free and unrated!

MMOBomb Staff
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Funcom announced that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will receive a digital re-launch this summer under the new name "Age of Conan: Unrated". As well as reaffirming its position as the sexiest and most savage MMO in the world, "Age of Conan: Unrated" will also feature a hybrid business model allowing anyone to freely roam the vast lands of Hyboria either as free players or premium subscribers with access to extra content.

“With over 1.4 million copies sold, glowing reviews for both the core game as well as the expansion, and a healthy player base ever since launch in 2008, there is no doubt that Age of Conan has been a true success story for Funcom,” says SVP of Sales & Marketing Morten Larssen. “Now we turn to another chapter in this story as we thrust ‘Age of Conan: Unrated’ into the world of free-to-play games, a gaming space that is becoming rapidly more popular and profitable across the board.”

The new business model will give players the opportunity to choose whether they want to play for free or become premium subscribers, and Funcom is also introducing an in-game store to the game where both free players and premium subscribers can purchase exclusive content such as weaponry and mounts. For a full overview of what differs from the free and premium offerings, you can view the Frequently Asked Questions now available on Age of Conan community website.

Age of Conan has always been a Mature gaming experience, but going Unrated gives the development team freedom to stay even more true to the original works of Conan author Robert E. Howard, and use even more of the barbaric, brutal and sexy setting that is Howard's Hyboria. Funcom is already in the process of developing new locations, monsters, equipment and storylines for ‘Age of Conan: Unrated’. This includes the movie tie-in adventure pack announced yesterday, that will introduce content and characters from the upcoming ‘Conan the Barbarian’ movie.

“Everyone on the team is excited about opening up our world to an even larger audience,” says Creative Director and Executive Producer Craig Morrison. “The online world of Hyboria is constantly expanding as we continue to introduce new gameplay features and new content, and we truly believe that ‘Age of Conan: Unrated’ will offer something truly new and unique to both new players and to those have already experienced the brutal online world of Conan the Barbarian.”

Launching in May 2008 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.4 million copies around the world. In the weeks after launch Age of Conan simultaneously topped the charts in 17 countries, and the game received critical acclaim from gaming press across the globe. Age of Conan is now available in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Polish localized versions, and has also launched in Korea.

To learn more about Age of Conan, visit the official site at: http://ageofconan.com/

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In this article: Age of Conan: Unrated.

Discussion (13)

Xebulba 12 years ago
So what you're saying is that Funcom is going to start handling AOC just like they have Anarchy Online since it came out in 2001ish. A developer falling back on the same business plan they used previously which has worked out rather well thus far...who would've thunk it.

EpixPixel 12 years ago
agreed the game looks good I hope my computer can run it, I have relatively dated graphic cards and a ton of viruses. anyone know where I can get better cards?

bacon 12 years ago
This game is 26GB in size, that is completely insane. How does any game manage to take up 26 gigs?!

j0v8008 12 years ago
Damn it... I just uninstalled AoC because my trial ended..... -.-

vexen999 12 years ago
looks good just hope my computer is good enough :D

ghostsai234 12 years ago
I think a lot of people saw this coming for a long time now. I'm a little disappointed about the "unrated" bit though. Do we really need all that?

khalon 12 years ago
most free to play end up living a long time....f2p isnt bad it just mean item malls and item and money pits but hell ur damned if you do and damned if you dont its a toss up like anything but the economy is y alot of p2p are slowly going to f2p i bet f2p item malls generate as much if not more then the revenue they made while being p2p...i bet AOC will grow with it being f2p

ixih0l81 12 years ago
Hate those F2P i mean when game was P2p and now F2P so sad really , 1 more game ruined by F2P .. So sad , so sad ... Money Means Everythinge ((((

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wagnerm3 12 years ago
This is such awesome news! I really loved this game when i trialed it but i had just quit playing WoW and honestly didnt want to pay to play another game similar to it. Same reason i dont play Rift and why i havent played the average F2P mmorpg, theyre just the same old boring crap.

Conan's combat is different enough to me tho, it feels more involved and i had a ton of fun with it.

Im looking forward to this.

ArcBR 12 years ago
it sure will have a lot of restrictions
i have seen on the FAQ
i recommend everyone checking out :|

kaluhaânna 12 years ago
-_- weird

LORDA 12 years ago
Finally! I have no patience already


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