• Subscribing for 1 month gives 7 days extra game time for no additional cost

• Subscribing for 3 months also guarantees a spot in open beta for The Secret World
• Subscribing for 6 months also gives a level 40 helmet with a 10% XP modifier
• Subscribing for 12 months also gives a free copy of the Rise of the Godslayer expansion

In addition, the rewards for the lower tier subscriptions are also included in the higher tier subscription, which means that you will get all these exclusive rewards if you choose to subscribe for 12 months. This is a time-limited offer only, and is also available to current players. Players who have signed up for these subscription plans in October have already secured their respective reward. The Secret World beta reward includes access to the later stages of the closed beta, and a date for access will be announced later. The free download of the expansion will become available when the expansion launches.

Additionally, in-game player time has also increased. Funcom plans to release significant enhancements in the coming months, and they are also developing ways to reduce the size of the game client download, to ease the burden on those wanting to check out the free trial. We’ll see yet another marketing blitz coming from them, focused on bringing back former players.

The Secret World development team is now up to 100 members, and a significant milestone was completed on May 7th. Included was the first iteration of the game’s combat system, character creator, dungeon, 11 near complete zones, content development tools and the first cut-scene.

Funcom also reported that the first Secret World trailer has been viewed by around one million gamers, and that the level of interest in the game is higher than Age of Conan received at a similar stage of development.

Flash / UI Designer

Funcom is seeking an experienced and motivated UI artist to join the ‘Age of Conan’ team. The UI artist will assist in the design, improvement and implementation of the games interface, and will work closely with the design and programming teams, producers and art directors to prototype and iterate new interface functionality.

Expert experience with Adobe Flash and Adobe Photoshop are required. The ideal candidate will possess sound aesthetic design fundamentals, including illustration and animation skills and preferably have good working understanding of intuitive human interface principles.

[Full details and how to apply]

Environment Artist

Want to be a part of the team that builds and shapes the world itself in Age of Conan? Funcom is looking for talented artists to join our team in Oslo responsible for Environment and World-building.

[Full details and how to apply]

AI Designer

Funcom is seeking a talented designer and scripter to work on the content creation process. Working as part of the design team this individual will be responsible for the scripting of game-play actions and encounters.

[Full details and how to apply]

1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
2. Spore
3. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
4. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
5. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning
6. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
7. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
8. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collector’s Ed
9. Fallout 3
10. World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
11. Call Of Duty: World At War
12. The Sims 2 FreeTime
13. World Of Warcraft
14. Sins Of A Solar Empire
15. Warcraft III Battle Chest
16. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
17. Crysis
18. Left 4 Dead
19. Diablo Battle Chest
20. The Orange Box

Ten Ton Hammer: Casting Conan is a real challenge, as he is not just some muscle bound brute in the stories. What traits would you look for in an actor who could possibly play this part?

Fredrik: Errrr… acting capabilities? What I mean is first and foremost, [we look for] a good actor. Second, this needs to be somebody who understands Conan’s character. Preferrably, with a personal depth. Physical presence, a big guy but in my mind but not a bodybuilder. Someone with a rugby-player physique, you know? Ultimately, this is a director ‘s choice because the chemistry must work between them.

They are hoping to announce a director in January, and have budgeted the script and looked at locations for shooting. The majority will be done in Bulgaria and some in China, and the film start date is set for June for a summer 2010 release.

“The changes in the US Customer Service operations are partly a result of certain functions being moved to Europe as well as adjustments to reflect the current subscriber levels. Improvements in the game have also led to less demand for Customer Service personnel, something we are of course very happy about.”

The evolution of Age of Conan since launch has been useful for the team working on The Secret World, influencing design and providing improved technical assistance, said Arne Aas.

“The development of The Secret World continues and we are expanding the development team at a steady pace.

“This is a very exciting project for us, and the team working on it has been able to draw on the innovations of Age of Conan for quite some time now – especially from a technological standpoint.”

You can read the full interview here.

Art

• Assistant Art Director – The Secret World
• Concept Artist – The Secret World

• Graphic Designer (Web)/ GUI Artist – The Secret World
• Senior Character Artist – The Secret World

Design

• GUI Designer – The Secret World
• Web Developer – The Secret World
• Writer – The Secret World

Other

• Text Coordinator – Age of Conan

Production

• Associate Producer – The Secret World

Programming

• 360 Programmer
• Java Programmer – The Casual Game
• Rendering Programmer