Funcom exits console market to focus on PC

Game developer and publisher Funcom, best known for its popular adventure game The Longest Journey, today announced the closure of its console game department in order to focus more on online gaming. The company released its massively multiplayer online role-playing game Anarchy Online last month, and it now wants to focus exclusively on the development and publishing of massively multiplayer online PC games and games for mobile telephones.

"Moving out of console development was a strategic decision that makes Funcom more focused as a company," Funcom president Andre Backen said. "Funcom has worked extremely hard to establish itself in the massively multiplayer online market, and this is where we have our strength."

The company also announced the closure of its Dublin office, which focused on console game development. The office was working on Jet Sprint, a boat racing game for the Xbox platform. Funcom plans to hire more staff for its offices in Switzerland, Norway, and the US, which are involved in the support and continuing development of Anarchy Online and the development of the company's upcoming online game Midgard.