One of the strong points about Conan, being a sandbox, is that you dont need to know or care about REH universe to play it and enjoy it.
That is one thing Theme Park has problems with. If you grow “tired” of the World of Warcraft, you hardly will stay for the “wonderful mechanics” and “amazing community”, because to enjoy the “arguably existence” of both, you have to endure much of the “World of Warcraft”.
Final Fantasy, EVE Online, the same thing, as Theme Park games, you need to endure some of the “railed content”, and that might put people off when they see that what else these games offer, other better games might.
Conan Exiles, being a sandbox, already start from the point you can just make yourself your game in it and dont care about the World backstory details (which many players dont even know. Pick a random WoW player that doesnt know or have been painfully explained who Thrall is …)
That is to all sandbox games, but one thing that is particular to Conan Exiles is that the game does it further than other games. Most Sandbox games will have a set of “theme park mechanics” that compel you to go to the content the game has railed, as if the devs want you to go and experience it regardless of you wanting it or not.
In Conan Exiles you cant just “run off the World”, but as far as combat does not prevents you, nothing else will. And it offers easy ways to solo game your “creative mode” out. It is hard be fully burned out about the game.
As I said before, Funcom seems to be sitting on a unique concept without evolving it, seemingly waiting someone else discover that players are tired of being told they “are having fun wrong”.
Sadly to Conan, some studios are learning that.