Age of Conan Delayed

Norwegian developer Funcom announced today that the upcoming fantasy MMOG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be delayed until March of 2008.

According to Funcom representatives, feedback from the game’s beta testing led to the decision. The company says the new release date will give them time to “focus on honing, polishing and improving the heralded qualities of the game.”

“We naturally regret that we have to push back Age of Conan,” said Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “However, after careful consideration, and analysis of recent beta feedback, we believe the release date is in the best interest of the gamers, our company and our owners.”

Gaute Godager, Age of Conan producer and director, said the company is “honored” by the reception the game has received in its prerelease state, but added, “We still see that we need to polish some aspects of the game even further, especially when it comes to the entry barriers.” He said the added time will allow Funcom to make the game “even more unique and powerful.”

Described by developers as an “online action role-playing game,” Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is based on Robert E. Howard’s 1930s fantasy character Conan the Cimmerian, better known as Conan the Barbarian. In development since 2003, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures commenced internal beta testing in the summer of 2006, followed by a public testing program that began in April 2007. The game has suffered from delays in the past; prior to this announcement, the game was slated for release on October 30, 2007, which itself had been pushed back from March 25, 2007.