MMORPGs are, for the most part, the realm of so-called "high fantasy." Environments are bright and colorful, with elves and fairies and magic appearing as bright-green lighting effects, and morality is presented in sharp black and white contrasts between good and evil. Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach, EverQuest I and II, Final Fantasy XI, Lord of the Rings Online, Ultima Online and World of Warcraft all fit the "high fantasy" mold

By contrast, there have been few instances of "low fantasy" in the genre. These games typically showcase savage worlds full of sin, desire and dark ambition, where magical power means brokering deals with malevolent gods or demons and barbarians who are more noble than the so-called civilized peoples. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures fills this vacuum of "low fantasy" MMORPGs, claiming its spot among its brethren with such veracity that the sullen-eyed Cimmerian himself would be proud.

We talked with Jorgen Tharaldsen, Product Director for Funcom, and finally found out what is good in life.

Conan Usurps PC Charts
According to the NPD, Age of Conan has been the top selling PC title in the U.S. since the game's release on May 20. The game has shipped over 500,000 copies in the U.S. and has shipped one million copies worldwide. So far, Age of Conan has sold over a half million copies worldwide.

"Age of Conan has definitively exceeded our expectations; I mean, the game pre-sold more than any other PC game in history, and that is a massive success no matter how you look at it. That it starts in such a great way means we have an amazing foundation to build on for years to come," commented Tharaldsen. "For an MMO the start is but the beginning, and we are now doing all we can to ensure that it continues to exceed ours and everyone's expectations – not just on box sales, but on game quality and the service we provide our players."

Age of Conan not only had impressive pre-sale numbers, but the title also managed to sell out all 111,000 copies of the Collector's Edition before the game even technically launched. These impressive numbers encouraged Funcom to ship 700,000 copies to retail for the game's launch.

"I remember we made a design for what we wanted in a CE back in 2005, where we hoped it would sell 30,000 units (that was the hairy goal)," described Tharaldsen. "That it sold out before launch, all 111,000 copies, (and we could have sold a lot more I think, if we had printed more) is a testament to how interested people were. I also think [publisher] Eidos did a great job of working on the look and feel of the box, making it very tempting for the players to get hold of one."

Impressive detail and draw distance for an MMO

When asked about comparisons of success between Age of Conan and the company's other MMO Anarchy Online, Tharaldsen responded, "It depends on which parameters you compare on, but in terms of initial box sales Conan is in a completely different league. Still, the true comparisons can only be made months and even years out when we really see how the subscription cycle is evolving. Anarchy Online celebrates its seven-year anniversary this week, so the game has obviously [had long legs], which has given us great knowledge about MMOs and the technology, service level and business models required to make these kinds of games a success. All in all, both games are successes for us as a company, although in very different ways."