"Anarchy Online is a groundbreaking game in every sense of the word" said Funcom's CEO Trond Arne Aas. "Not only were we the first sci-fi MMORPG on the market, we have also been at the very forefront of MMOG design, graphics, audio, customer service, community and distribution solutions. Seeing the achievements and improvements Anarchy Online has gone through, it's safe to say that our game has contributed a lot to the genre as a whole."
To celebrate this considerable landmark Funcom is initiating several different anniversary events: Current players of Anarchy Online can look forward to in-game parties with lots of prizes from Funcom, Alienware and ATI. We will also launch a special Shadowlands upgrade offer for only 9,95 USD / EUR, as well as giving away three 30-day game keys to all active subscribers.
For all new players Funcom launches a 9.95 USD / EUR offer on the Deluxe version of Anarchy Online, while including free game time until the 1st of September 2004. This means that new players avoid all subscription fees until the launch of Anarchy Online - Alien Invasion!! This offer lasts until the 1st of August. Go to www.anarchy-online.com/specialoffer/ for more information
As Anarchy Online is entering its fourth year as a live service, Funcom remains committed to the ongoing development and improvements of the game. Funcom will keep delivering impressive expansions and constant enhancements, while continuing to lead the way with creative solutions and fun game play. On the 1st of September Funcom launches "Anarchy Online - Alien Invasion", the next expansion pack. The best Sci-Fi MMORPG is about to become even better!
Some interesting Anarchy Online statistics:
- More than 3 million characters have been created
- More than 700.000 players have registered with a credit card
- Over 2 million Anarchy Online clients have been distributed
- The ARK volunteers and Funcom employees have answered over 1 million in-game petitions, in addition to emails. Customer service is important.
- Anarchy Online covers 480.000.000 square meters of land, in addition to dynamic dungeons. That's 5 billion square feet, or 185 square miles.
- The depth and possibilities in Anarchy Online are immense. There are more than 4000 spells, more than 160.000 items and over 500 unique creatures with several thousands variations.
- An average player spends 21 hours a week on Anarchy Online, or three hours a day.
- 46% of the players in Anarchy Online play as Omni-Tek, 46% play as Clans and 8% are neutral. Over 85% of the players in Anarchy Online have played both sides.
- The average age of a player in Anarchy Online is 27 years. 85% are male vs. 15% female. 40% of the characters are female! In general, each player can be seen as 50% achiever, 30% explorer, 15% PVP and 15% socializer.
- An astounding amount of content has been added through free updates for active players, excluding retail expansion packs. No other MMO-game has delivered more subscription included content than Anarchy Online.
- Funcom was the first MMOG publisher to offer a free tryout download. Since the launch of the 7 day free trial in 2001, hundreds of thousands of copies have been downloaded.
- Anarchy Online has received more than 20 awards since launch, including "MMO of the year 2001" in PC gamer US, "Expansion pack of the year 2002" in Computer Gaming world and "Outstanding Achievement in Art direction 2003" at IGN's RPGvault. The average review score of Anarchy Online Shadowlands, the latest expansion pack, is 87 of 100 after some 70 reviews.
ABOUT ANARCHY ONLINE - ALIEN INVASION:
The next chapter in the Anarchy Online saga further strengthens the sci-fi aspects of Anarchy Online, making the game even more unique compared to current and forthcoming offerings within the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) genre. Not only will the social aspects be greatly improved, with players being able to construct their own towns, set up unique shops and build impressive organization headquarters, they also get their action quota filled when they come face to face with aliens wielding superior technology. The new alien menace threatens all of the citizens of Rubi-Ka as the planet is suddenly invaded. A massive call to arms is sounded across the planet as the players rally to defend their own cities against the alien hordes. The players can also fight their way into the heart of invading spaceships, gaining riches and power. More information can be found at www.anarchy-online.com