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Funcom reveals Secret World

Age of Conan maker unveils new PC, 360 MMORPG about the modern world being upended by a magical cataclysm.

The Secret World

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Following a weeklong attempt at ilovebees-style viral marketing, Funcom has finally come clean. The Norwegian developer of the forthcoming Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures today announced a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game. And while it contains plenty of magic, the title has more in common with H.P. Lovecraft's demonic universe than Robert E. Howard's barbarian hero.

Titled The Secret World, the new game has a modern-day setting with a darkly fantastical twist. In it, massive monsters and secret societies employ arcane powers and battle beneath the high-tech veneer of the 21st century. Several concept screens from the game (above) contain both fantasy and Deus Ex-style cyberpunk elements. Its teaser poster (below) shows a Call of Cthulhu-esque creature meeting a katana-toting woman in a futuristic jumpsuit standing atop a taxicab.

"Well, ma'am, there's your problem right there."

"We started envisioning this contemporary online world more than 10 years ago, and as the years passed the ideas grew and improved," Secret World producer/director Ragnar Tornquist said in a statement. "We always wanted a different kind of online world, something scary and contemporary, something deeper and closer to our reality. Our goal now is to create a detailed world where players feel empowered and part of something big, something mystical and epic."

The Secret World has been in development for the PC and Xbox 360 since last summer at Funcom's Oslo headquarters and Beijing studio. No release date is currently set for the game, but its teaser site--www.darkdaysarecoming.com--is now online.

92 Comments

  • thereal-15-cent

    Posted Jan 25, 2012 11:04 pm GMT

    An MMORPG for a console? Finally!

  • raging_hero

    Posted Apr 9, 2009 5:25 am GMT

    Hopefully this won't come out the same as Hellgate: London. I'll keep an eye on this one and see how it turns out. Good luck to the developers, artists and creators at Funcom.

  • Arch-Vil

    Posted Aug 21, 2007 2:39 pm GMT

    OMG !! my Internet connection sux a big one !!

  • tegororn

    Posted Jun 4, 2007 3:32 pm GMT

    It's really too early to decide if it's good or not.We'll see.

  • theKSMM

    Posted Jun 1, 2007 8:44 am GMT

    It's gonna be hard for PC gamers to find anything to play by themselves one day.

  • SMGrawks

    Posted May 19, 2007 8:24 pm GMT

    MMORPG? Will single players without der internet be able to play the game?

  • coblexkitten

    Posted May 18, 2007 1:51 pm GMT

    Looked fabulous to the pics of the lame looking characters. Also, it's an MMORPG. :-( I looked at hte pics first and I got excited. Maybe I'll play it for a week because the world in that game looks awesome.

  • Darkside2501

    Posted May 16, 2007 12:26 am GMT

    *Agreed*
    Looks great!

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted May 16, 2007 12:24 am GMT

    -This game looks HOT.

  • darth-revan

    Posted May 15, 2007 11:16 pm GMT

    MMOs are kinda flooding the market at this point. I really think this would be great though, because its different. Ive always wanted a very creepy and scary world and somethin from H.P. lovecraft would give me that. As long as it plays differently from most MMOs ill check it out.

  • Agulf

    Posted May 15, 2007 5:59 am GMT

    Good, now use that engine and port Anarchy Online over to it. ... well, If only it was that easy...

  • dukerav

    Posted May 14, 2007 4:21 pm GMT

    Another MMO ? Nice for 360's but, man, there are just way too many MMO's overall. If this can bring some decent new gameplay and innovations to the genre, maybe Ill check it out, but I a bit burned out on MMO's at the moment.

  • Tollers

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:58 pm GMT

    I want! Please hurry.

  • runstalker

    Posted May 14, 2007 2:29 pm GMT

    People should get more creative with their sub prices. I believe "premium" MMOs can exists in the $9.99 or $4.99 /month range and still offer regular updates and quality, well-produced content. Those two numbers are so much less scary for teens, parents, etc. Publishers seem to gravitate towards $14.99 a month premiums or totally free micro-transaction based models. There's very little grey area in between. Why so afraid of $9.99 or $4.99? The "premium" MMO needs a few monthly payment tiers.

    Imagine something as solid as WoW or EQ2 (no ads, plenty of updates) but in the $2.99 or $4.99 / month range - wouldn't that totally catch on? If they wanted to milk more, charge a buck for every two character slots.

  • GyRo567

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:37 pm GMT

    Ragnar teased us for an entire year with the "Next Big Thing" on his blog.

  • glhx1rush

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:25 pm GMT

    Hmmm, If I have to pay to play, I won't bother with the 360, I'll go with the PC. Unless, there is some form of "discount" for 360 subscribers, taking into account the fact that we (360 users) already pay to get online (For "Gold" Accounts), Balance that issue with the PC fees, and I'll consider the 360 version, if in fact this game over really sees the light of day.

  • maxmax1234

    Posted May 14, 2007 12:17 pm GMT

    magic rpg. like that a lot

  • Angryduck67

    Posted May 14, 2007 11:48 am GMT

    Reminds me of Shadowrun, probably a source of inspiration. I've been waiting for someone to make a online RPG like this for years.

  • Syzgygy

    Posted May 14, 2007 9:01 am GMT

    Excellent.

  • ele975

    Posted May 14, 2007 7:25 am GMT

    Skinn_E_G - Thank you!
    The link you get is http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/

  • saulabi

    Posted May 13, 2007 10:29 pm GMT

    if i remember from the beginning of the 360. ms said that for mmo that you don't need gold just that you have to pay the monthly fee for the mmo.

  • 705H1R0

    Posted May 13, 2007 10:05 pm GMT

    yea, I would hate having to pay a monthly fee on top of xbox live gold, but on the other hand, that money only goes to microsoft, so I don't know how a third party developer would be compensated....

  • HotsFrost

    Posted May 13, 2007 9:13 pm GMT

    Ne idea if u need to pay for 360?

  • BoogieManZero

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:56 pm GMT

    I am hoping I don't need to pay another monthly fee on top of the one I am paying for Gold already. Seems like an MMO would be hard to translate to the 360, no way it will sell well if you must pay every month, but it won't get the service it needs unless they charge every month....

  • cenobyte21

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:42 pm GMT

    i tried the 'code' given by the site mentioned by skinn, it didnt work for me.

  • VanGriffin

    Posted May 13, 2007 5:06 pm GMT

    Its a PC because the 360 bites.

  • etiennec9

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:54 pm GMT

    The teaser site isn't very enticing...yet?

  • Skinn_E_G

    Posted May 13, 2007 4:25 pm GMT

    ele975 That teaser site... anyone knows if it's a puzzle, or that moving and turning those pieces are just for fun?

    Spoiler at
    http://www.warcry.com/news/view/71542-Mystery-Game-Puzzle-Appears-Funcom-Responsible

  • GizmoVirus

    Posted May 13, 2007 3:21 pm GMT

    sounds swesome, but like already stated, when is one going to come out on the 360?

  • epormada

    Posted May 13, 2007 3:03 pm GMT

    I keep hearing about all these new MMO's coming out on the 360, can somebody please just focus on releasing one already.

  • ele975

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:03 pm GMT

    That teaser site... anyone knows if it's a puzzle, or that moving and turning those pieces are just for fun?

  • wowgod

    Posted May 13, 2007 11:45 am GMT



    eh wtf? anarchy was nothing special but for a game thats costs £0
    its worth a go ya fud!

  • SmallPower

    Posted May 13, 2007 11:13 am GMT

    proofread please

    Funcom has got to be some sort of money-laundering front because there is no way they can possibly expect to succeed with two new MMOs, considering their abysmal Anarchy Online track record

  • TheoleDominion1

    Posted May 13, 2007 10:53 am GMT

    What the hell are you talking about! Last I check there isn't any MMO's on the new consoles except for FFXI. Alot of people were not happy that there were not alot of RPG's on the next-gen consoles, now there are some coming out PEOPLE STILL COMPLAIN! Oh yeah, RaiKageRYU I hope they keep "spawning" just so you can keep posting negative remarks for me to laugh at.

  • Ironshadow360

    Posted May 13, 2007 9:04 am GMT

    [I still don't know if 360 MMORPG's cost extra...Xbox Live + Monthly Fee would be crazy.]

    I don't know if its official for ALL MMO's, but Final Fantasy XI requires a monthly fee, so its safe to assume all others will as well.

  • Icicle2004

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:26 am GMT

    I still don't know if 360 MMORPG's cost extra...Xbox Live + Monthly Fee would be crazy.

  • tehmamushka

    Posted May 13, 2007 8:17 am GMT

    Ok, now this game definitely looks interesting.

  • Emraldo

    Posted May 13, 2007 7:01 am GMT

    Has anyone figured out how theteaser site works?

  • taylormadederek

    Posted May 13, 2007 6:43 am GMT

    Don't play MMO games they will take up too much time. Read a book instead.

  • Lonelynight

    Posted May 13, 2007 5:43 am GMT

    Another MMO, meh

  • Skinn_E_G

    Posted May 13, 2007 5:37 am GMT

    This might be another drop in the pond for PC Gamers, but all 360 owners have right now are 2 ps2 ports. This game could be huge for console owners.

  • Fable_Lord

    Posted May 13, 2007 3:41 am GMT

    yes idd, it looks cool

    let's hope it plays cool as well

  • craig828

    Posted May 13, 2007 3:08 am GMT

    Looks cool.

  • azizrulez

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:57 am GMT

    the concept sounds interesting,and since its funcom they probably might even deliver

  • Edcase

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:54 am GMT

    ooks interesting ill have to check this out some more

  • langfora

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:26 am GMT

    sounds interesting

  • Makhdoom82

    Posted May 13, 2007 2:06 am GMT

    Rpgs Rpgs Rpgs .. Why is everybody bent on making those .... How about Fps/Tps, Action adventure, Rts etc etc.

  • DrCLos

    Posted May 13, 2007 1:31 am GMT

    I really like this idea. I think it has been a long time coming for a more modern MMO. Might actually get me into playing one again if it turns out well.

  • mixhawkeye

    Posted May 13, 2007 12:58 am GMT

    Cool cant wait to see how it turns out.

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