Funcom to launch new online kids' game

Funcom has announced the first of a series of titles it will be releasing that are to be aimed at a younger, more casual audience, GamesIndustry.biz can reveal.

Pets vs Monsters will be the first game launched under its new Sweet Robot label and will enter open beta this month, with children from four years upwards the target demographic.

"Basically what we wanted to do with Pets vs Monsters was build upon Funcom's traditions for good RPG systems and RPG mechanics - levelling, grinding monsters, completing quests and character development, and bring that to a much younger audience than anybody's really brought it before," explained the game's producer, Jon Wright.

"So taking kids from a Club Penguin age and giving them a nice, gradual introduction to what people call a sort of Diablo-style mechanic and gameplay.

"Throughout the game you're really transitioning the player from chasing experience points (XP), levelling and that kind of thing and turning it into an item-centric game - so they start chasing items, collecting gear, wanting the right armour and that kind of thing."

The title is indicative of a new direction for the Anarchy Online and Age of Conan developer, but won't spell the end of plans for more adult-themed titles or traditional hardcore MMOs, with The Secret World still very much in development.

"We're still convinced there's a high-end MMO market," asserted the company's CEO Trond Arne Aas, outlining how he sees the market has changed since Conan was released. "I think what we've seen on the high-end MMO market is two things: One, it's turned out to be more challenging to keep those big subscriber bases for many years; but on the positive side the sales of new MMOs in the initial launch period are much higher than previously.

"So I think what's important is that you really think through that, and that you develop your high-end MMOs with a very open mind. I also think that on the high-end side there are definitely opportunities to test the gameplay mechanics and concepts in a very early phase, before you move into the full production cycle.

"I think you'll see that both from Funcom and from other companies in the future, because there aren't that many people that can put down... I don't know how much they're spending on the Star Wars game for example, but it's many tens of millions of Dollars in those big bets. People will be seeking the same kind of risk reduction in the high end space as we've seen in the casual space."

Meanwhile Wright was confident that Pets vs Monsters would be the first step in attracting a new audience to the firm's creations, based on internal research.

"We've done a lot of focus and usability testing throughout the entire development of the game, and we've had successful play tests down to kids at four years old," he said. "Now, at that age, they're really not getting some of the more complicated mechanics, but in terms of running through levels, killing monsters, collecting XP - that works all the way down to four.

"At around six years old you start to see them understand what the gear does, and at around eight years old you start to see them equipping the right sort of gear for the right sort of thing - so the demographic is really as young as we can make it, and holding through to... I mean, we enjoy it in the office, and we're in our thirties..."

The full interview with Trond Arne Aas and Jon Wright is available on GamesIndustry.biz now.