Funcom

Funcom is a Norwegian video game developer and publisher founded in Oslo in 1993, best known for the Conan Exiles survival sandbox, the long-running online RPG Anarchy Online, and Dune: Awakening, an open-world survival MMO set in Frank Herbert’s science fiction universe that launched in June 2025 and broke the studio’s sales records. Tencent acquired full ownership of Funcom in July 2020 and the studio continues to operate independently under that ownership.

Founding and Early History

Erik Gloersen, Tyr Neilsen, Andre Backen, Gaute Godager, and Olav Mørkrid founded Funcom Productions AS in Oslo in 1993. The studio’s early years involved work for major entertainment companies, building the technical foundations before Funcom began developing its own original games. The studio built its initial reputation through the 1990s across a diverse catalog that included Casper on the original PlayStation, NBA Hang Time on the Super Nintendo, and The Longest Journey in 1999, a narrative adventure game that became a critical favorite and launched a story and setting the studio would continue to develop across sequels.

Anarchy Online and the Online Games Era

Anarchy Online launched in June 2001 as one of the earliest massively multiplayer online RPGs to reach commercial release, a science fiction game that preceded World of Warcraft by three years and established Funcom’s identity as an online games studio. The game’s launch was troubled by severe technical problems before stabilizing into a long-running community that remains active. Funcom continued in the online space with Age of Conan in 2008, a more graphically ambitious MMORPG set in Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age, and The Secret World in 2012, a modern-day horror MMO that later relaunched as the free-to-play Secret World Legends in 2017.

Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles launched in early access in January 2017 and released in full on May 8, 2018, developed and published by Funcom for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The open-world survival game set in the Conan the Barbarian universe became the studio’s most commercially successful title, attracting millions of players across its long post-launch update cycle. Funcom has continued to support Conan Exiles with major free updates alongside paid expansions, and the game received an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 as part of the Conan Exiles Enhanced edition. Three years of continuous updates following launch turned it from a promising early access release into the foundation of the studio’s commercial stability.

Publishing and Acquisitions

Funcom expanded into third-party publishing alongside its own development work. Metal: Hellsinger, a heavy metal rhythm first-person shooter developed by The Outsiders, was published by Funcom in September 2022 and sold over one million copies. Dune: Spice Wars, a real-time strategy 4X game developed by Shiro Games, was published by Funcom in 2022 as the first of multiple planned Dune titles. Aloft, a co-op sandbox survival game set on floating islands, was published in January 2025. Funcom acquired The Outsiders, the Metal: Hellsinger developer, in 2021, and also acquired the Cabinet Group, subsequently rebranding it Heroic Signatures to manage the Conan, Solomon Kane, and other Robert E. Howard intellectual properties across games, film, television, and merchandise. The Outsiders shut down in October 2025 following Funcom layoffs, with Metal: Hellsinger remaining available and the IP retained by Funcom.

Dune Awakening

Dune: Awakening is Funcom’s most ambitious project, an open-world survival MMO set on Arrakis that launched on June 10, 2025, for Windows with console versions to follow. The game blends open-world survival mechanics with MMO elements and a narrative built around Frank Herbert’s science fiction universe, letting players explore the planet, survive sandworm encounters, build structures, craft ornithopters, and engage with the political factions of the Dune setting. Funcom signed a contract with Legendary Studios to develop at least three Dune games, making Dune: Awakening the first of a multi-year commitment to the franchise. The game broke all of Funcom’s previous sales records on launch.

Tencent Ownership

Tencent announced its intent to acquire Funcom in January 2020 and completed the acquisition of 100 percent of shares by July 14, 2020. Funcom operates as a subsidiary of Tencent while maintaining its Oslo headquarters and independent creative direction. The studio employs approximately 185 people from 25 different nationalities, with Funcom Oslo AS continuing as the primary development and publishing operation.