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The Secret World beta reaches over 500,000 users, plus new screenshots

by: Travis -
More On: The Secret World
Funcom, developers of past MMOs including Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures and Anarchy Online, have announced that The Secret World beta has reached over 500,000 registered users. The premise behind The Secret World takes place in the modern world where all the various conspiracy theories and urban legends are actually true. Thus, players can choose to join one of three factions including the Illuminati, the Dragon, and the Templars. The game removes the restrictions of classes and levels in favor of a freeform progression system. Also, included below are new screenshots showcasing some of the game's urban locales.

For entry into The Secret World, visit the official website to sign-up for the beta. The current release date for the full version on PC is set for April 2012.

OVER 500,000 registered for ‘THE SECRET WORLD’ beta

– Funcom experiencing massive interest for ‘The Secret World’, with over half a million gamers having registered for the beta –

Durham, USA – October 25th, 2011 – World-leading independent game developer Funcom is pleased to announce that over half a million people have registered to participate in the ongoing beta testing of ‘The Secret World’. ‘The Secret World’ is being published by Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS).

Almost everyone joining the community has chosen to affiliate themselves with one of the game’s three secret societies – the Illuminati, the Dragon, and the Templars – fueling the conflict that is already emerging on forums and social media channels everywhere.

“We are thrilled to see the amount of interest ‘The Secret World’ is generating among gamers and the press, and exceeding half a million beta registrations six months before release is definitely something we are proud of,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “The gamer interest in ‘The Secret World’ and the community size for the game is even greater than we experienced with ‘Age of Conan’ at the same stage of development. We expect the community size to keep on expanding at an ever faster pace in the coming months as we approach Open Beta and launch.”

‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’ proved to be a major sales success for Funcom, with over one million copies sold in the first twelve months after release in May, 2008. This made ‘Age of Conan’ one of the best-selling PC games of 2008, and the game has now sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide.

Crowned the ‘Most Anticipated MMO’ at PAX 2011 by genre-leading website MMORPG.com, ‘The Secret World’ is scheduled to launch for the PC in April 2012 and is currently undergoing thorough beta testing in parallel with development. Funcom continues to invite more testers over time, and will be initiating several different phases of beta leading up to release in order to secure the smoothest possible launch. Beta testers are actively contributing to the development of the game by providing input on game design, mechanics, balance and more.

‘The Secret World’ invites players into a modern-day, real-world setting where secret societies pull the strings of kings and presidents, and where the player will break free from the confinements of classes and levels using a freeform progression system. The game is being brought to life by the experienced MMO developers at Funcom, led by the award-winning game designer Ragnar Tørnquist.

Tørnquist has previously led the development of other Funcom titles such as ‘The Longest Journey’ and ‘Dreamfall’, both of which have won several key industry awards.

Those looking to join the beta test can sign up via the official site at www.thesecretworld.com.

ABOUT FUNCOM - Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC and consoles. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’, ‘The Longest Journey', 'Anarchy Online' and 'Dreamfall: The Longest Journey'. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.anarchy-online.com www.dreamfall.com, www.darkdaysarecoming.com or www.ageofconan.com. Funcom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.

ABOUT ELECTRONIC ARTS - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.