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Back in December, we talked a bit about Funcom's new studio SweetRobot, which will be designing games for a much younger market than the Age of Conan crowd. Pets vs. Monsters is the first offering from the studio, with the promise of more to come. Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas took some time to sit down with gameindustry.biz and discuss where the company stands now, and how that has influenced their decision to explore this new opportunity.

Of course, Funcom had to employ some cost-cutting measures in 2009: "...it's become almost a default thing for businesses in the last year it seems." Tapping into the vast tween market could be a very lucrative move in the face of those measures -- while their cash reserves are more than comfortable, gaining new subscribers is the way to keep the company moving forward.

Make no mistake - the grownup side of Funcom isn't going anywhere. Age of Conan is here to stay and The Secret World is still coming, but Funcom is also giving plenty of attention to their more casual new studio as well. The full interview can be read here.

MassivelyFuncom plans a more casual direction for future games originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanfuncomgameindustry.bizpets-vs-monsterssweetrobotthe-secret-worldtrond-arne-aasTue, 05 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Funcom unveils SweetRobot, announces Pets vs Monsters]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/11/funcom-unveils-sweetrobot-announces-pets-vs-monsters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/11/funcom-unveils-sweetrobot-announces-pets-vs-monsters/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/11/funcom-unveils-sweetrobot-announces-pets-vs-monsters/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

When most parents think of children's MMOs, nobody would likely think of a studio like Funcom. After all, Funcom is the company that brought us Age of Conan, an MMO rife with boobs, blood, and beheading. Quite possibly the absolute last place you'd let your kiddies romp around, really. That's undoubtedly why they decided to spin off a new studio called SweetRobot as they start up their newest MMO offering aimed at the 8-12 year old crowd: Pets vs. Monsters! Slated to be a free to play game, Pets vs. Monsters has apparently been under development for two years and will enter public beta this month. Now how's that for a holiday surprise!

According to Funcom CEO Trond Arne Aas, "SweetRobot will be focusing on publishing games outside the traditional high-end MMO-segment which Funcom has been focusing on the last years. This will allow us to explore new market opportunities that differ from what we have been doing before while still retaining Funcom's familiar profile. This definitely marks a new and exciting direction for us." It is, however, a highly competitive market, so time will tell if this newest outing will take off for them. If you're curious to see a bit more of Pets vs. Monsters, then be sure to check out the gallery of screenshots and concept art below, or better yet, have a look at the game-play video for an early peek!

Gallery: Pets vs. Monsters

in-game screenshotin-game screenshotin-game screenshotslime monstercactus monster

Continue reading Funcom unveils SweetRobot, announces Pets vs Monsters

MassivelyFuncom unveils SweetRobot, announces Pets vs Monsters originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>childrensconcept-artfamily-friendlyfuncomkidsmmonew-studiopets-vs-monstersscreenshotssubsidiarysweetrobotvideoFri, 11 Dec 2009 17:00:00 EST