New details on the future of Conan Exiles are out this week, alongside impressive early sales figures and a loose timeline for transition out of early access. Tremendous support from the Steam community has inspired Funcom to make some bold plans for Conan Exiles.
We don’t know the exact number of copies sold; however, Funcom says “nearly half a million” units have been purchased by Steam users since Conan Exiles ’ Early Access debut, including 320K in its first week. In response to the early support, the publisher has reevaluated its plans (including funding) for the popular new survival game. Funcom will more than double its original investment plans for the game, dumping another five to 10 million dollars into the project between now and the game’s early 2018 debut. Xbox One is still the only console Conan Exiles will hit in 2017 but Funcom also confirmed plans to release the launch build on PS4.
As far as new content, Funcom has ambitious goals it hopes to achieve before Conan Exiles leaves early access. The publisher outlined six major updates it plans to release over the next nine to 12 months, including the introduction of siege warfare, a mount system (and mounted combat) that incorporates camels, elephants and rhinos, a sorcery system and more advanced settlement mechanics that will enable the building/management of player-owned cities.
Here’s how Funcom describes each:
Siege Warfare: Players can attack each other's settlements with powerful war machines, such as siege towers or trebuchets, and fling rotting corpses over the walls of their enemies to spread pestilence in their streets.
The Purge: Hordes of NPC warriors will sweep down into the Exiles Lands and attack player settlements. Players must ready their defenses against this brutal attack, but can also go on the offensive and capture new thralls and strong gear.
Mounts : You will be able to enjoy mounted combat on horses and capturing camels, rhinos or even elephants to be used for pack animals or crushing your opponents walls. Mounted combat will also make its way to Conan Exiles.
Sorcery: Embrace the dark corruption of magic to summon demons or raise the undead to create an army of skeletons. Magic in the world of Conan is more than shooting fireballs out of your hands: it's dark, terrible, and twisted.
Settlement System: Create a living city, where you command your thralls to guard, patrol, craft, gather or trade based on your own schedules. Build roads, set up schedules for your thralls, and breathe life into your settlement.
Highland Biome : An all new area expanding the existing map into the highlands, with new creatures, armors, religions and a temperature system. Explore vast forests and scale tall mountains in this rugged, weather-beaten part of Hyboria.
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Conan Exiles is currently available via Steam Early Access. The game will jump to Xbox One’s Game Preview program this fall and the launch build will hit PC, PS4 and Xbox One in Q1 2018.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes and follow Scott on Twitter for more on Conan Exiles throughout 2017 and however long Funcom supports Conan Exiles in the years ahead.
