A heartfelt thank you to the AoC community – and a pause from Hyboria

Age of Conan General Discussion
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Greetings everyone,

Before anything else, I want to say a massive thank you to all the amazing people I’ve met in Age of Conan – in-game, here on the forums, and on the Facebook groups. This community has been one of the most welcoming and passionate I’ve ever been part of, and it’s been a true joy to share the world of Hyboria with you.

For now, I’m stepping away and taking a long pause from AoC. I’ve had countless hours of fun, pushing my main almost to level 80 and an alt close to 40. Along the way, I also tried to dive deep into the game’s files to explore possibilities for modding — reskins, recolors of spells and armor, new character skin tones, alternative 3D assets from other games, and more. My dream was to create a foundation where players could produce their own texture mods and breathe fresh life into AoC.

I didn’t succeed in breaking through, but I got one step closer. I even reached out to Funcom in the hope of involving them in my efforts. Sadly, like many others before me, I realized that Funcom has no current interest in supporting AoC projects that don’t directly serve their business model. And while that is perfectly understandable from a business perspective, it doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking.

Because AoC still holds incredible potential. With just a handful of updates – or better yet, proper modding tools – this game could flourish once again. A small, dedicated team could achieve wonders with minimal effort, and if Funcom doesn’t want to update the game themselves, then handing the tools to the community could ensure its legacy lives on for years to come.

Here are a few of the things I’ve shared in the past, if you want to dive deeper:

Imagine what could be done if players were allowed to mod like in Minecraft, Skyrim, or Final Fantasy XIV. Think of the conversations, the creativity, the YouTube and Twitch content, the renewed interest. The potential is staggering.

I’ve suggested many ideas myself: less button bloat, modernized dodge mechanics from Conan Exiles, streamlined combat inspired by more modern MMOs, and more. And I know I’m not alone – there are countless players out there willing to pay Funcom for subscriptions, mounts, treasures, expansions… but only if we see movement, transparency, and a willingness to nurture this sleeping giant.

Because to me, Age of Conan is still a slumbering dragon – waiting to open its eyes and remind the world of its true power.

I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent in Hyboria, and I don’t know if this is goodbye or just a long break. But I wanted to leave this message with passion and hope – that one day, AoC will get the love it deserves, either by Funcom or by us, the players, if only given the chance.

Until then, thank you again to everyone I’ve met along the way. This community has been the heart of my AoC journey.

See you, perhaps, again in Hyboria.

With gratitude and respect,
PowerCandy

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TL;DR –
Funcom, please consider reworking your payment model and communication channels, so players have a clear and transparent way to engage with you about future updates. I – and many others – am more than willing to support this game financially. But if players continue to buy everything in the shop without receiving anything meaningful in return, that approach is not sustainable for promoting any game.

I also see worrying signs of a similar pattern emerging in Conan Exiles and Dune. Instead of focusing solely on two survival titles, you could reignite Age of Conan – a game with an incredible foundation, unique identity, and a passionate community still ready to support it.

One thread in particular had a major impact on my decision to step back:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: https://forums.funcom.com/t/changes-to-customer-service-policies/58336