Funcom and Conan Inc. Extend Agreement Up to 2023

Funcom and Conan Inc. have extended the agreement in which Funcom has the exclusive rights to develop any and all Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games based on the Conan license. The agreement gives Funcom the right to develop MMO games with the Conan brand on PC, present and future gaming consoles, portable devices and mobile systems until 2018. In addition, Funcom now has an option to prolong the agreement with five additional years.

"It's great to see the evolution of Age of Conan, and we truly believe we will deliver a special and fun online experience," said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. "At the same time we look ahead, and we feel confident that Conan is a brand which will stand strong for many decades. With the investments involved in today's online games and the very long life spans of MMOs, it is important to have long term license agreements, and together with Conan Inc. we will continue our focus on investing in the Conan brand."

"We have a great passion for the qualities and works of Robert E. Howard, and we share this with Funcom," said Fredrik Malmberg, Head of Licensing at Conan Inc. "We have worked very close with Funcom for more than three years now, and we have great belief in their ability to deliver. Virtual worlds become ever more important, and we feel certain Age of Conan stands a great chance of gaining a large share of the MMO market."

Age of Conan is a Showcase Game for Windows Vista, and earned the E3 2006 award as the Best MMO Game of Show from the three world-leading gaming websites IGN, Gamespot and Gamespy. "When you talk about the greatest fantasy writers of the 20th century, theres no disputing the two names at the top of the list: J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard," stated IGN in their text for the E3 award.