Age of Conan looked to have the bounty of the online world before it but now times are proving hard for developers Funcom.
The company has posted a fourth quarter operating loss of $23m, their CFO Olav Sandnes has tendered his resignation and analysts estimate under 100,000 now play the MMO.
"Funcom is a company with a substantial potential based on a unique combination of skill sets in a fast growing global market. I wish Trond Aas and the rest of the organisation all the best in realising the full potential of the company," said Sandnes, currently holding position of CFO until a replacement is found.
According to estimations from DnB NOR Markets, a leading Norwegian analyst, Age of Conan now holds under 100,000 paying subscribers. This is dire news indeed compared with launch numbers which were around 400,000 before soaring up to 700,000 within months.
Funcom have already cut back the number of operating servers from 49 down to 18. Around this time company co-founder Gaute Godager announced his resignation adding that he felt "dissatisfied" with Age of Conan.
Many complained of Conan's stark lack of quality after leaving the beginning tutorial island, and not enough zones to explore and plunder overall. Funcom may now keep their console plans for the MMO on hold indefinitely.
Do you serve the barbarian King Conan online?
Source: GamesIndustry.biz