Norway-based Funcom's Age of Conan has sold, both digitally and at retail, over 800,000 copies, the company says, and now has 415,000 customers.

The successful launch, Funcom says, helped propel it to second quarter revenues of $13 million, exceeding its own estimations by $1 million primarily thanks to higher box sales than Funcom expected, while losses totaled about $5.7 million, largely in AoC launch costs.

Funcom expects revenues of $16 to $20 million in the third quarter, primarily from AoC subscription dollars, while the company says it'll aim to maximize the length of current user engagement while earning new subscribers.

The company says it's been issuing an average of one patch per week, and will continue to "commit enhancement and corrections" to AoC based on player feedback, as part of its retention strategy, with a focus on the "high end" parts of the game, along with items and bug fixes.

Funcom also says that the average playtime per player is lower than it expected, and suggests this might be due to the fact that the average player, at age 29, is older and likely has less time for long sessions, and that at this time during the year many are on summer vacation trips.

The company plans to enter the Russian and Polish markets with new localizations, and says it's also negotiating in the Asian markets to launch there in the second half of 2009. Finally, the company is "in the early development phase" of the Xbox 360 version of Age of Conan.

[The preceding article by Leigh Alexander originally appeared on Worlds in Motion sister site Gamasutra.]

Sony Online Entertainment announced two new expansions for its MMORPGs at its Fan Faire event over the weekend, EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction and EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey.

Due October 21st, EverQuest: Seeds of Destruction marks the 15th expansion of the original EverQuest game. With the release, players will have access to 20 new zones, new raid content, new spells, new alternate advancement abilities, and mercenaries, which are player-controlled NPCs designed to assist with PvE encounters. The level cap has also been increased to 85.

EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey, the fifth expansion for the EQII franchise, will be available on November 18th. The Shadow Odyssey will include 20 new zones, dungeon adventures, new deities, an achievement level cap increase to 200, five heritage quests, a shard reward system, and a new mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiences.

The expansions were announced at 2008 SOE Fan Faire, the company’s annual social gathering event at Las Vegas held for fans of its online games. Attendees were given software for both expansions for free as part of SOE's recently-launched Living Legacy initiative.

Said SOE president John Smedley: “It is such a privilege to announce the upcoming expansions for two of our most popular games, EverQuest and EverQuest II, in a venue like Fan Faire where we are joined by thousands of our loyal fans, and it seems more than appropriate to give those fans access to both of the expansions for free."

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape.]

Online worlds are usually avatar based, and if they're games, they're normally RPGs. Developer GameForge bucks the trend with Ikariam, a browser based real-time strategy title that is most usually compared to Sid Meier's Civilization series. We go in-depth with the title after the jump.

UTV Interactive, the gaming arm of Indian entertainment group UTV Software Communications, has entered an agreement to acquire an 80 percent stake in online game publisher True Games Interactive.

The Mumbai-headquartered company previously announced in December 2006 that it had purchased mobile games developer Indiagames and UK-based console games developer Ignition Entertainment (Mercury Meltdown series). The latter recently announced two new executive placements as part of further plans to expand its U.S. operations following the opening of two new development studios in Tokyo and Florida .

Founded in January 2008 by former execs of MMO service provider K2 Network, True Games focuses on free-to-play, microtransactions-driven business models for independent developers and publishers. The studio announced a partnership in April with developer Petroglyph (Universe At War, Star Wars: Empire At War) to release a free-to-play, microtransaction-funded PC online game. True Games intends to launch its first title in Q3 2008.

Said UTV Interactive CEO Preneet Malhotra: "Online gaming is the platform of the future once broadband penetration reaches across world markets. While this phenomenon is led by Asia, it has started gaining traction in the west as well. The True Games acquisition gives UTV not only presence in the international online gaming space, both in content creation and publishing but is also a major step towards achieving UTV's 360 degree gaming vision."

Seeking to support schools affected by the country's recent economic downturn, children’s online protection company eGuardian and virtual world Woogi World launched a venture offering eGuardian's software and access to Woogi World for schools to use as a fundraiser.

Schools not only receive eGuardian for free by registering for the offer before September 30th, but they can also make the software and membership available to parents for a nominal donation, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the schools.

Targeted at children in kindergarten to sixth grade, Woogi World is a virtual world and community in which kids worldwide can safely play educational games and chat while learning how to become “responsible internet users and goodwill ambassadors (good influences in their homes, schools, and communities).”

Woogi World announced in April that it had enlisted eGuardian's software to keep dangerous adults and malicious content out of the children's virtual world with parental controls, site blockers, and access restrictors.

Said Woogi World CEO Scott Dow: "WoogiWorld is committed to children's welfare -- whether they are in a virtual world or the real world. By providing our service to the schools free-of-charge, school districts around the country can potentially generate millions of dollars to go directly into its coffers."

With the 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference coming this September 15-17 and registrations open for the Austin, Texas event - which includes both 'Online Gaming' tracks and a special Worlds In Motion Summit for businesspeople and brands looking to get into virtual worlds, we're highlighting one of our upcoming Worlds In Motion lectures.

Rebel Monkey CEO and founder Margaret Wallace will answer the important question of how to ensure that people will come to your virtual world once you've launched it. Titled "If You Build It, Will They Come? ," the session will cover what considerations need to be made to elevate your virtual world business on a world-class scale.

Before launching the casual games studio Rebel Monkey, Wallace served as CEO of Skunk Studios, also a casual games developer, and worked at Shockwave.com and PF Magic. She also serves on the Steering Committee for the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Casual Games Special Interest Group (SIG).

For more information, including a number of other key already-debuted lectures that we'll be highlighting weekly here on WorldsInMotion.biz, alongside further new Worlds In Motion Summit/online keynote specifics as they happen, check out the official Austin GDC 2008 website.

Perfect World Entertainment announced the launch of its closed beta for free-to-play MMORPG 3D Perfect World International. The game is expected to have an open beta later this fall.

Serving as the English-based, international version of Perfect World II, which was released in China in July 2005, the game is inspired by Chinese mythology and based in the mythical world of Pangu. Players can create characters from three unique races, join guilds, control and battle over territory with their guilds, marry other characters, create items with crafting skills, and more.

Players can also earn and spend money in the in-game Cash Shop to temporarily increase stats with consumables, expand storage capabilities, customize fashion and equipment, and purchase mounts that allow faster movements.

Said Perfect World Entertainment CEO Alan Cheng: "Today’s beta launch is an exciting milestone for us as it provides the opportunity for North American gamers to receive their first introduction to Perfect World International. Providing early access to the full game underscores our commitment to customer satisfaction while demonstrating the well-designed, high quality entertainment experience that gamers can expect from Perfect World International."

Prepaid card distributor GMG Entertainment announced a partnership with animated avatar site Meez to offer prepaid cards, which include a "bonus free limited edition item" for the free-to-play community at Best Buy locations. GMG also reported that it extended its partnerships with current clients AdventureQuest, Gala-Net, and Stardoll.

Meez claims over seven million registered teens and college-aged youths who visit the site to create customizable 3D avatars, play casual games, interact with others, and contribute to its virtual economy. The site's in-game currency, Coinz, can be used to purchase premium content, such as special animations or accessories.

Said Meez CEO Sean Ryan: "Meez is very excited to announce our partnership with GMG Entertainment by introducing our prepaid cards into Best Buy stores across the country. This is a chance to not only offer our established user base an important new way to purchase virtual currency, but we look forward to inviting millions of new digital entertainment enthusiasts into the Meez community.

Expanding further on his personal blog, Ryan described prepaid cards for virtual worlds as "perfect merchandise" for retailers because of their ability to deliver high value-to-floor-space ratios, offering margins closer to other physical products. "Given the decline of recorded music sales and the flattening of DVD sales, this can be a nice win for retailers who really focus on the digital entertainment category -- some of them will soon start to actually integrate their brands and links into these worlds so that users can move back and forth between virtual and physical spaces."

He went on to applaud GMG's efforts to work with Best Buy to launch a specialized area for prepaid cards at the electronics retailer's video game sections: " ... retail placement and the resulting revenue will be a key driver for successful digital entertainment brands, and leading retailers will benefit by offering these options to their customers."

Developer MindArk announced that its virtual world Entropia Universe will join graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia's "The Way It's Meant to Be Played" initiative, a program designed to help studios optimize and incorporate exclusive features in their games while promoting Nvidia's graphics hardware.

According to MindArk, Nvidia will work with the company to "enhance" the game's visual effects, taking advantage of technologies in GeForce GPUs and Entropia Universe's upcoming implementation of Crytek's CryEngine2 game engine later this summer.

Launched in January 2003, Entropia Universe has grown to over 720,000 registered accounts from over 200 countries. Users play as settlers tasked with colonizing a wild land, hunting monsters for by-products to trade and sell, mining for materials and exploring as they form new societies.

The game is free to download and play, but all equipment and skills necessary for all but the most basic involvement must be purchased with Project Entropia Dollars (PED). Users may buy PED at a fixed exchange rate of $1 per 10 PED, or they may earn them in-game. The hallmark of Entropia Universe's business model is the fact that PED can also be changed back into real-world currency; theoretically, then, users can earn real money through in-world gains.

Said MindArk's business development director David Simmonds: "We are thrilled to be working with Nvidia and look forward to a prosperous future together. The expertise that the Nvidia team has to offer is so valuable to us as we strive to continually provide the best gaming experience for our players."

[Each day, Worlds in Motion will be taking a closer look at individual virtual worlds. We'll start with a nuts-and-bolts overview, then move on to an in-depth tour, to be followed up with a conclusion-- all with the aim of bringing you all the essential info and details on each world in the rapidly-developing virtual landscape. You can view Part 1 of our investigation here, and Part 2 here.]

Online worlds are usually avatar based, and if they're games, they're normally RPGs. Developer GameForge bucks the trend with Ikariam, a browser based real-time strategy title that is most usually compared to Sid Meier's Civilization series. We reveal our conclusions on the title after the jump.

With the recent launch of our new Worlds In Motion Job Board as a standalone board complete, complete with its own RSS feed and unique URL, every week, we will be highlighting the latest posted jobs relevant to our readership of professionals creating online worlds.

The listings cover a wide range of companies and open positions, so everyone seeking jobs in the MMO/online/virtual world industry should find the board useful.

- Blizzard Entertainment (Irvine, CA)
Senior Software Engineer, Battle.net
("Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a talented and enthusiastic programmer to join our Battle.net team in Irvine, California. Battle.net is an online service enjoyed by millions of Blizzard Entertainment gamers around the globe. The senior software engineer must be self-motivated and able to work both independently and in conjunction with team members and product groups. Enthusiasm and flexibility in working on a variety of projects are also necessary. The ideal applicant is someone who enjoys technical challenges and the satisfaction of overcoming them.")

- Cryptic Studios, Inc. (Los Gatos, CA)
Customer Service - Director, Sr. VFX Artist, Sr. Sound Designer, and Game Design - Writer
("Cryptic's design process revolves around the vital question, "What is fun?" The close-knit team addresses this question at each stage of development, ensuring the creation of innovative, challenging and fun games. A solid foundation of efficient development tools allows Cryptic to focus on what they do best, creating games that break the boring, hardcore, high time commitment stereotypes of MMOG's.")

As a reminder, once you've paid to post your job on Gamasutra, it's absolutely free to cross-post that job to any of Gamasutra's sister sites - including WorldsInMotion.biz!

Worlds In Motion will continue to highlight the online worlds-related jobs posted at our new standalone Worlds In Motion Job Board, every week.

Online Gaming network Mochi Media announced a partnership with social networking and virtual spaces site Cyworld US to integrate the firm's games and ads into the community.

Through Mochi Media's MochiAds program, Cyworld will present a feed of Flash gaming content in the new gaming section of its site, which launched in mid-July. The games will also take advantage of Cyworld's social feature, allowing players to compete for top scores with other Cyworld members and share their thoughts on games and players.

Mochi Media's pre-game ads will be displayed as the game loads. The MochiAds program allows Cyworld to capture a share of the advertising revenue generated from all games played on the site.

Said Cyworld's vice president of product marketing Darian Patchin: "Mochi Media provides a deep level of gaming integration, enabling our members to compete and engage with one another. We're constantly looking to increase the quality of our members' experience and providing a social way to interact with Web games is a perfect fit.

He continued: "Mochi Media helps solve a revenue problem that many social networks are facing. Since we don't allow banner advertising on the site and are the only major social network without it, we are very selective about our revenue generation partners."

Ahead of its presentation at internet dating conference iDate 2008, Omnidate predicted that online dating sites that include virtual worlds will keep them competitive against social networks.

Omnidate's own "plug and play application" integrates with online dating sites, allowing users to select from a group of premade avatars and meet with others in different date settings -- such as lounges, restaurants, or resorts -- to chat, play games, and listen to music.

The company claims that adding its application to dating sites could potentially result in increased traffic and revenue, as well as higher conversion rates and increased retention.

Omnidate CEO Dr. Igor Kotlyar and co-founder Ravit Ableman will present their session, "Virtual Reality: New Opportunities for Online Dating in Europe," at the event on September 22nd. iDate 2008 will run from September 22nd to the 23rd at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London.

Said Abelman: "... virtual reality creates opportunities for online dating sites that will keep them competitive with social networking sites. The gaps in service that allowed social networking sites to compete for the online dating market can be addressed by adding virtual reality to personal dating sites."

Disney intends to release a mobile game that will interact with its Pirates of the Caribbean Online virtual world this September or October, according to a report from financial news site Forbes.

Launched in October 2007, Pirates of the Caribbean Online is a free-to-play title (with a monthly subscription option for premium content) based on the Disney film series. In the mobile game, players will be able to engage in short battles and earn virtual coins that can later be spent online, presumably in the MMORPG.

Disney also has a "Fairy Friend" mobile widget planned for Pixie Hollow, a forthcoming virtual world based on Disney's Tinker Bell fairy character. The mobile application allows users to create and care for a butterfly pet for their Pixie Hollow avatars, a feature not available in the online release.

The company is planning several other products to sync mobiles with its online site, such as a registration system for users to access their Disney.com profiles (due September), a digital storefront for purchasing games and other mobile goods, a "Speed Chat" messaging system for sending messages to other mobiles or PCs, real-time polls and trivia questions that follow Disney shows on TV, and more.

Disney is looking ahead to adapt to its 'tween users' cell phone needs and has already begun developing applications for the iPhone. An iPhone-specific version of the Disney site is also in the works.

Larry Shapiro, EVP of business development and operations for the Walt Disney Internet Group, commented that the company's mobile efforts are designed primarily to strengthen its other sectors: "It's about creating a connected media world. If you want to reach tweens, you need mobile."

Following the announcement of its cross-licensing deal last week, Worlds and Paid announced that it will be extending its 'symbiotic' relationship to the development of DMC World, an upcoming virtual world created with hip hop pioneer Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels of Run D.M.C. fame.

Paid will create virtual merchandise items, such as clothes and accessories, for Worlds' virtual communities, including DMC World. All of the content and features currently available on D.M.C.'s web site, Me-DMC.com, which is created and managed by paid, will link to DMC World.

The two companies recently announced a cross-licensing deal in which Worlds will integrate Paid's e-commerce technology into its own platform by the year's end, and, simultaneously, Paid will offer its celebrity clients a 3D web presence.

The agreement is expected to "increase web site traffic, enhance the experience of Worlds users and members of Paid-managed celebrity fan clubs, and grow the revenue and profits of both companies and their clients." The two companies also hope to further develop mobile promotions strategies and the creation and sale of new, Paid-inspired virtual merchandise.

Said Worlds CEO Thom Kidrin: "This relationship with Paid allows us to enhance our services for Worlds'com members with a broad range of available products inside and outside the virtual communities. We believe that Paid will be able to offer a broader range of innovative and creative products and efficiently manage fulfillment with their specialized inventory management and shipping infrastructure to enable all involved parties to increase revenues and the bottom line."

Kidrin continued: "We are opening the door to expand further into recording artists, sports figures and other well-known brands to reach greater traffic through our relationship with Paid. We are also attracted by the nature of Paid's relationship consulting services in the areas of sports and music industry marketing, and we see ourselves creating new revenue-generating strategies together as part of the natural progression of our business relationship."

Telecommunications company Nortel announced that it acquired Mesa, Arizona-based developer DiamondWare, which has been working on proximity-based 3D positional voice technology.

Nortel revealed that the studio's technology will be a key component in web.alive, a new virtual world application designed to help businesses facilitate internal collaboration as well as customer and partner interactions over the web.

web.alive can be added to a company's web site, where users can control customer avatars, interacting with each other and the company's customer service avatar to make purchases, receive a product demonstration, or resolve other issues.

Business can also hold virtual web-based meetings and allow employee avatars to interact in real-time.

Said web.alive's chieft architect Arn Hyndman: "People are no longer satisfied with existing collaboration tools or with static web sites supported only by a telephone contact center as the main point of interaction. They want to discuss potential purchases with others, exchange ideas, make business proposals, and fluidly interact with others in real-time.

He added: "Additionally, web.alive will offer security not available with other virtual environments today because it is integrated with corporate enterprise systems and software."

San Francisco-based developer Vivaty announced that it expanded its Vivaty Scenes platform to include virtual pet dogs, social scenes, and avatar customization features.

Recently brought into public beta, Vivaty Scenes utilizes Vivaty's 3D spaces platform to offer embeddable virtual spaces as a Facebook application and as an application module for AOL's instant messenger.

The new updates allow users to go beyond avatar templates and choose from over 200 options for hairstyles, tops, and bottoms. Users can also add a customizable virtual pet dog to their virtual space. The puppy will bark, pant, and respond to avatar actions.

Social Scenes are a lot like already existing personal virtual spaces, but are presented with a theme that users can interact with and share content around. The initial scenes are themed around fashion, celebrity gossip, and web videos, but Vivaty is inviting users to submit ideas for future scenes.

The company also hinted that it will launch its platform on a new social network in the near future.

There.com creator Makena Technologies announced five new partners for its virtual merchandise marketing program -- apparel providers K-Swiss, bebe, and Eberjey, as well as music merchandiser Bravado and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Each retailer will create a virtual storefront in There.com where members can purchase both virtual and real world merchandise, such as T-shirts, hoodies, bathing suits, pajamas, and shoes. The new brand partners will introduce between five and 18 virtual goods each into the world.

Other current partners in There.com's virtual merchandise marketing program include Coca-Cola, Scion, CosmoGirl, and the Humane Society of the United States.

Said Makena CEO Michael Wilson: "As virtual worlds continue to grow in popularity, more brands are entering the space because the quality of virtual goods has become so realistic that consumers can now begin to make real-life purchasing decisions based on an item’s virtual counterpart. As virtual worlds continue to become more mainstream, I believe we will see more brands introducing virtual goods to help increase consumer engagement, and in turn, we’ll see a ‘halo effect’ that crosses into the real life."

With the 2008 Austin Game Developers Conference coming this September 15-17 and registrations open for the Austin, Texas event - which includes both 'Online Gaming' tracks and a special Worlds In Motion Summit for businesspeople and brands looking to get into virtual worlds, we're highlighting one of our upcoming Worlds In Motion lectures.

For his session, "Microtransactions in North America -- Lessons Learned," Klei Entertainment president and founder Jamie Cheng will present an insightful discussion on what North America can learn from Korea's successes and failings with the microtransaction business model. He will also cover how his Vancouver-based studio developed its relationship with Maple Story's U.S. publisher Nexon America.

Klei Entertainment, which previously released 2D puzzle game Eets for PC and Xbox Live Arcade, is currently developing Sugar Rush, Nexon's first MMOG developed by a western studio and targeted specifically for North American audiences. The title will allow players to fight against each other while trying to collect virtual coins.

For more information, including a number of other key already-debuted lectures that we'll be highlighting weekly here on WorldsInMotion.biz, alongside further new Worlds In Motion Summit/online keynote specifics as they happen, check out the official Austin GDC 2008 website.

Virtual environment analyst group Thinkbalm launched ThinkBalm Innovation Community, an online community dedicated to the advancement of "immersive internet" applications, such as virtual worlds and campuses, immersive workspaces and applications, and immersive learning simulations.

The community will focus on work-related uses for virtual environments and is targeted at IT managers, information and knowledge management professionals, software developers, and technology marketers

Built with Spigit's enterprise community software, the free community allows members to pose ideas and solutions to problems, vote or comment on the posts, and "invest" in ideas using the software's built-in stock market-like functionality.

Members earn investment capital for the community through activities like posting and commenting on ideas, winning contests, and investing early in ideas that eventually become popular.

Thinkbalm hopes that with the community, members in the immersive internet sector will "collaboratively refine raw ideas into clear, vetted innovations from which all members of the community can benefit."

TOM Online, the internet arm of Chinese media group TOM Group, launched Stardoll for Chinese market exclusively on its open platform today.

The teen and 'tween social networking site and doll dress-up community allows users to create customized MeDoll avatars, chat with friends, earn or purchase Stardollars (the site's virtual currency), and buy virtual fashions and/or furniture.

Stardoll recently celebrates its 20 millionth registered user since launching in 2006. The company also saw a 33% increase in monthly unique visitors, having so far sold over 208 million virtual items.

Says TOM Group CEO Ken Yeung: “The partnership with Stardoll further underlines TOM’s commitment to introduce the latest technologies and applications to Chinese users through our open platform. The fun-filled products offered by Stardoll are consistent with the positioning of TOM’s portal as a brand catered to the young and trendy demographics."

He continued: "Following the portal revamp, TOM continues to enhance its services and strengthen its user-centric products and applications offerings. Working along this direction, we will continue to launch more new products in near future."

Ganz will grow Webkinz World's global presence with translations for key elements of the virtual world. The company intends to release the localized elements over the next several months in phases.

Launched in North America in April 2005, Webkinz World will soon allow its users to play and chat with friends in other countries.

The browser-based virtual world's lists distributors and stores around the world that carry Webkinz's plush animals. Children are encouraged to purchase the plush pets and adopt a virtual version of the pet online using a code.

Ganz is also launching an international Webkinz eStore that will allow kids to purchase plush pets or virtual pet codes even if they live in an area where Webkinz toys are not sold. Additionally, they can purchase sepcial online feature codes for exclusive Webkinz World virtual items.

Berlin-based MMO developer and operator Metaversum announce the opening of a virtual cinema in 3D world Twinity.

German cinema operator CineStar, with the help of web agency byForce Sunrise, opened the Cubix movie theatre, which is located in Twinity's virtual recreation of Berlin. Metaversum is creating scale replicas of various cities for Twinity and plans to debut Berlin, its first virtual city, in Twinity's upcoming public beta.

As part of Cubix's opening, CineStar and its partner Warner Bros. Entertainment are presenting bonus material from Batman film The Dark Knight, a merchandising shop, and an event hall for The Dark Knight parties in the virtual theatre.

The cinema will also have a The Dark Knight competition, movie trailers, flash games based on current movies, and highlights from the recent Bitfilm festival.

Said Metaversum CMO Mirko Caspar: "The cooperation with CineStar and Warner Bros. perfectly mirrors our vision for Twinity. Attractive entertainment content that can be shared with like-minded people in Twinity gives the real cinema experience a whole new dimension. Visiting the virtual Cubix becomes an exciting event for all Batman fans."