Funcom, a world-leading independent developer and publisher of online games, launched the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online (MMO) game ‘The Secret World’ to the masses. Three days later Funcom is happy to report that the launch has been a tremendous success for the company with positive feedback from both players and the press. In terms of server and client performance the launch was exceptionally smooth and as of now several of the game’s dimensions ‘ which can hold tens of thousands of gamers playing at the same time ‘ have started filling up due to the ever-increasing number of players coming into the game.
The growing interest in the game may be attributed in part to the very positive press reviews that keep pouring in. Over twenty reviews have been published by gaming sites and magazines the past few days, and as of Friday July 6th the average review score is at about 83%.
PC Powerplay has given the game a 9/10 score, saying that ‘The Secret World is a breath of fresh air in a stale genre.’ Dread Central served up a 4.5 out of 5 score, saying the game ” is a marvel from a presentation standpoint combining great graphics with an appropriate soundtrack and a storyline that always has something new to uncover.’ The online gaming site TenTonHammer awarded the game 84 out of 100, concluding that Funcom has ” colored outside the tried and true (and often dull) MMOG lines and drawn a game that is truly different from all the rest’. Funcom has also registered tremendously positive feedback from players, with the current user rating on MetaCritic coming in at 8.9 and the user rating on MMORPG.com currently at 8.78. Funcom is also registering exceptionally high playtimes per player in the game, indicating that players are enjoying their time with the game.
‘We are absolutely thrilled to see such amazing reactions from both press and players,’ says Funcom SVP of Sales & Marketing, Morten Larssen. ‘With ‘The Secret World’ Funcom set out to break new grounds for the MMO genre, to really shake things up and show the gaming industry that you do not have to conform to the tried and true formula to make a great MMO experience. Seeing this innovation being positively received is not just a victory for Funcom, it is also a victory for gamers and the genre.’
‘The Secret World’ presents players with a modern-day alternate reality where all the myths, legends and conspiracies of our world are true, and where hellish monsters threaten real-world locations such as Transylvania, Egypt and New England. ‘The Secret World’ has been recognized widely for its new take on the MMO formula. Not only is it set in a unique modern-day setting, the game also does away with confinements such as classes and levels. Storytelling is also taken to a whole new level and the game introduces engaging missions unlike anything seen before in MMOs. Public interest in the game has been formidable with 1.5 million gamers all over the world registered to beta test ‘The Secret World’, breaking all previous Funcom records.