Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures

Funcom press contacts:

Erling Ellingsen, Director of Communications, Funcom | +47 48 86 71 07

erling@funcom.com

Funcom is proud to reveal ‘Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer’, the first expansion for the critically acclaimed, best-selling new MMO of 2008 ‘Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures’. Inspired by the rich and colorful cultures of eastern Asia, ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ will send players on a voyage through the Empire of Khitai where countless hours of more brutal, sexy and savage adventure awaits. ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ not only introduces a whole new storyline and a vast new world to explore, it also adds new features such as faction gameplay and an alternate advancement system.

“Since the turn of the year the team has been working hard on bringing the Empire of Khitai to life,” says Craig Morrison, Game Director and Executive Producer on ‘Rise of the Godslayer’. “Our focus now is on expanding on the strengths of the game by providing massive new regions of the world to explore, and the Empire of Khitai offers a whole new perspective on the Conan lore and universe. ‘Age of Conan’ has evolved leaps and bounds since its launch last year, and we are making sure to build on the existing qualities and expand them further with the brand new content and gameplay in ‘Rise of the Godslayer’.”

‘Rise of the Godslayer’ tells the story of an Empire slowly spiraling into chaos, as a consequence of the actions of a young Conan many years ago. After killing the Elephant God in the famous Robert E. Howard story ‘The Tower of the Elephant’, strange and horrible things have been happening to the Empire of Khitai. As a player you must explore the dark roads of the Empire and walk the path of the Godslayer as you unravel a mature and deep storyline full of brutal conflict and political intrigue.

Go to www.riseofthegodslayer.com for more information such as a complete list of features.

Visit ftp.funcom.com/medi a to download a press kit containing screenshots, artworks, a video and more.

Players will discover vast new locations in ‘Rise of the Godslayer’, such as the far-stretching Northern Grasslands, the deceptively serene Chosain Province and the magnificent Pillars of Heaven. Adventurers will find that the new regions are torn apart by conflict between its inhabitants, and you will be able to take part in these conflicts by joining up with many of the warring factions. Faction gameplay plays a large role in ‘Rise of the Godslayer’, presenting the player with choices that earn them both allies and enemies in Khitai. Through questing and adventure players can advance through faction ranks, rewarding them with incredible treasures such as epic new armor and weapons. Players can choose to continue their adventures with existing characters, acquiring new combat abilities and spells through a robust alternate advancement system, or start over again as a Khitan – an all-new culture. No matter what the choice may be, adventurers will find a wealth of new high-level content, but also low-level content in Khitai available immediately after leaving Tortage Island. The expansion also introduces new mounts such as the Tiger, and through adventure players will see them grow from a weak cub into a ferocious fighting companion.

“Development on ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ is progressing very well, something gamers can see and experience for themselves this week,” says Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas. “We have the game up and running on the showfloor at GamesCom, and we encourage everyone there to come visit us and give the expansion a try. We believe ‘Rise of the Godslayer’ will be a strong addition to the ‘Age of Conan’ brand.”

GamesCom is one of the world’s biggest gaming shows, and runs from August 19th to August 23rd in Cologne, Germany. Visitors can find ‘Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer’ in Hall 9 all days of the show.

Launching in May last year ‘Age of Conan’ quickly became a smash hit in retail, shipping over 1.2 million copies around the world. In North America, the most prominent online gaming market in the west, ‘Age of Conan’ became the third best-selling PC title of the year only beaten by ‘Spore’ and ‘World of Warcraft’. 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, and is being prepared for launch in Korea as well.

For an exclusive insight into the expansion pack, please visit IGN (US), Eurogamer (UK), Meristation (Spain), JeuxVideo (France) Buffed (Germany) or Multiplayer (Italy) for details and developer interviews.

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ABOUT FUNCOM - Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of online games for PC, consoles and mobile platforms. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more than twenty released games. Recent titles include 'The Longest Journey', 'Anarchy Online' and 'Dreamfall: The Longest Journey'. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit http://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 CONAN PROPERTIES INTERNATIONAL - Conan Properties International LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc., controls rights to Conan, many associated characters and the Hyborian world, as created by Robert E. Howard and various rights expanded upon by many acclaimed authors and artists. Many consider Conan the world's best-known fantasy character. For more information about Conan Properties International LLC, visit www.conan.com. For information about Paradox Entertainment Inc., visit www.paradox-entertainment.com.

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