Last Updated: November 16, 2008.

• What is a MMO?
• Who is Funcom?
• When will The Secret World be released?
• Is there a beta program available for TSW?
• What platforms is The Secret World being released on?
• Will I need an internet connection to play?
• Will there be a monthly fee to play?
• What rating will the game have?
• What will the system requirements be for this game?
• Will the game support languages other than English?
• When did TSW go into development?
• Who is Ragnar Tornquist?
• Who is Lovecraft, and what does he have to do with TSW?

  Q: What is a MMO?
  A: An MMO, or Massively Multiplayer Online Game, is a gaming universe where thousands of players can connect to a vast 3D online world. In this world they can play with and against other players on servers hosted by a game developer.

  Q: Who is Funcom?
  A: Funcom is a Norwegian games developer that was established in 1993. They have created more than twenty games for PC and consoles. The most known products from Funcom are Age of Conan, Anarchy Online and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Funcom’s headquarters is situated in Oslo, Norway’s capitol. In addition Funcom has offices in the USA, Switzerland and China. Over 230 people from more than 25 nations are employed in Funcom. The company is listed in the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.

  Q: When will The Secret World be released?
  A: Unknown, but PR for the game is set to begin early 2009. So we may see a late 2009 release.

  Q: Is there a beta program available for TSW?
  A: Not yet, but chances are good that there will be a closed beta eventually.

  Q: What platforms is The Secret World being released on?
  A: PC and Xbox 360.

  Q: Will I need an internet connection to play?
  A: The Secret World has been coined a “MMO game combined with Alternate Reality Gaming and social networking”. This would likely indicate that players will require an internet connection to play.

  Q: Will there be a monthly fee to play?
  A: TSW will likely be subscription based. Monthly fees for MMOs tend to range from $12-$15 / month USD, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

  Q: What rating will the game have?
  A: TSW does not yet have a ESRB rating, however, many would probably speculate that the game will have a “Mature” rating.

  Q: What will the system requirements be for this game?
  A: While that is unknown at this point, The Secret World will be utilizing the “DreamWorld Engine”, which is the same technology used by Age of Conan. You can expect at a minimum to need a computer which meets Age of Conan’s system requirements:

  Required:

  -OS: Windows Vista/XP
  -Processor: 3GHz Pentium IV
  -RAM: 1GB RAM
  -Video Card: Shader Model 2.0 and 128MB RAM: NVIDIA GeForce 5800 or ATI 9800

  Recommended:

  -Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (E6600) or better
  -Vdeo Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 or better
  -RAM: 2GB or more

  -Enhanced for: DirectX 10, 64-bit processors, multi-core
  -Supports Parental Controls on Windows Vista

  Q: Will the game support languages other than English?
  A: Uncomfirmed, but Age of Conan supports several different languages, so there is a good possibility that The Secret World will as well.

  Q: When did TSW go into development?
  A: The Secret World has been in development since Summer 2006, but it was officially announced on May 11, 2007.

  Q: Who is Ragnar Tornquist?
  A: Ragnar Tornquist is a Funcom employee. He has been involved in many high profile projects such as Dreamfall and Anarchy Online; he is now the Game Director for The Secret World. You can find Ragnar Tornquist’s blog here.

  Q: Who is Lovecraft, and what does he have to do with TSW?
  A: Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction. Lovecraft’s work has been said to have played a part in the inspiration for The Secret World. “The Call of Cthulhu” is one of H. P. Lovecraft’s best-known short stories and has been brought to both film and video games.