MMO Week: Is the market maturing?

Funcom's Erling Ellingsen, product manager for Age of Conan, sees his mature-rated game as a progression of the MMO genre.

"There are so many MMOs coming out, more and more every year, and they're all 12-rated games," he told GamesIndustry.biz.

"Age of Conan is really the first mature MMO title to hit the market, and I think that if it does really well, that's definitely going to open up that market for the competition."

Ellingsen said research shows that the average MMO player is in the mid-twenties, creating an untapped market for more mature content.

"There are so many choices right now in terms of other MMOs that people want something new and get a new experience, and I think Age of Conan is going to be able to give them that," he said.

Ellingsen also pointed out that the millions of World of Warcraft players are growing up, having played the game over the past four years.

"Perhaps they were 14 then, but they're 18 now, and ready for something new. I think the market is maturing, and I think you'll see more mature MMOs," he explained.

The complete interview with Erling Ellingsen is now online.