Originally Posted by gamer.no (Google translation)
Just before the weekend reported Funcom that they want to bring in new money from investors, through merging with other companies or a potential acquisition.
Modest comes in the wake of a stock exchange release published in July, where the company talked about its problematic financial situation. It was told that the revenues from their games probably is not enough to keep the company going, since they also have to fulfill liabilities within June 2016.
- Taking all necessary steps
Director Ole Schreiner tells Gamer.no that the company is now working hard to ensure they get the opportunity to continue as before.
LEGO Minifigures Online has had to change.
- Ultimately it means hook on the door, but the company has taken and continues to take, steps to prevent that to happen. Everyone working in Funcom live and breathe games, and as a company we have worked with game development for over 20 years. This is a challenging industry, something everyone who works in it will be able to tell you, and this is a challenge we as a company have to work our way through, he writes in an e-mail.
He says that Funcom will be revealing more details about the situation during August and September. Evidently we get initial information dose August 26 - when adding the company presented its latest quarterly report.
Changed payment model
Funcom has over the past ten years focused particularly on massive online games of various kinds, and it is these games that have become the trademark of the Norwegian developer. The games have still failed to reach the expected goals, and Funcom have had to change both the hopes of revenue and payment models.
The Secret World sold below expectations.
MMO The Secret World ended up going from betting on subscription revenues to only charge for the game only 5 months after launch. The change came after the game sold less than expected.
Studio's latest project, LEGO Minifigures Online, also went recently through a major sales model change. When online game was launched in autumn 2014, it was free to play. Funcom focused then on getting the revenue from sales of LEGO figures. In July they made the game strongly, and then chose to go for a more traditional variant - buy the game once and play as much as you want.