Tying in a movie: Age of Conan to get content from upcoming film.

by: Sean Cahill - posted: 5/24/2011 12:40:00 PM

Instead of creating a game based off of a movie, Funcom announced that they will be doing the exact reverse of this formula by tying in content with the upcoming Conan the Barbarian movie.  It's an interesting move that isn't used often enough in the gaming world, with the first true success being Goldeneye, way back in the Nintendo 64 days.  Instead of trying to rush a game out that is based on an attempted blockbuster movie, developers take their time and actually create a game that may have elements of a movie, but do not push for that all-important date right as the movie comes out.  While this is not the same case as Goldeneye, it is certainly better than what we generally see with games based off of movies.

Durham, USA – May 24^th, 2011 – Funcom is proud to announce the new content to ‘Age of Conan’ that will tie together the game and the upcoming movie, ‘Conan the Barbarian’. Set 20 years after the movie storyline, an epic new adventure pack – The Savage Coast of Turan finds players being sent by Conan, now King of Aquilonia, to aid his old ally Artus. The new adventure pack includes but is not limited to content from the movie, and allows players to follow epic storylines in Conan’s realm.

"We have worked closely with the Funcom creative team since 2003 and carefully crafted a unique look and feel for Conan's world," says Conan the Barbarian Producer and Paradox CEO Fredrik Malmberg. "Many of the concepts, locations and designs from the game development were utilized by the film team for consistency, and we are thrilled that many elements of the film, distributed by Lionsgate in the US and UK, will feel familiar to the Age of Conan players."

Slated for an August release, ‘Conan the Barbarian’ tells the tale of Conan and his adventures across Hyboria. The new adventure pack launches players on exciting adventures, as they help Artus unravel the conspiracy and plots surrounding the city of Ardashir in Turan. The pack adds all new encounters, the massive new area of Ardashir, new dungeons and raids as well as new armor sets and monsters that moviegoers can already observe in the recently released theatrical movie trailer.

 "We're excited to see the movie and the game combined in this brand new content," says Executive Producer for Age of Conan, Craig Morrison. "Being able to draw upon the characters, storylines, weapons, and monsters from the movie is tremendously exciting, and it will definitely compliment the wealth of content that already exists within the 'Age of Conan' game world."

‘Conan the Barbarian’ is set for a wide release on August 19^th. The film will be released in 3D and is set to star Jason Momoa in the lead role, being supported by Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman, Bob Sapp and Rachel Nichols, with Marcus Nispel directing.

Launching in May 2008 ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.2 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.