Conan Exiles, developed by Funcom, once thrived as a dynamic survival game with a passionate player base. The game initially gained recognition for its rich open-world design, engaging survival mechanics, and immersive Conan lore. However, in recent years, server activity has dwindled significantly, leading to many servers becoming ghost towns with sparse or no active players.
This decline can be attributed to several factors rooted in the decisions Funcom made regarding the game’s development and direction:
- Content Updates and Focus: Funcom shifted focus from core survival mechanics and community-driven gameplay to features and monetization strategies that alienated long-term players. Content updates often prioritized cosmetic microtransactions over meaningful gameplay improvements or expansions.
- Unaddressed Technical Issues: Persistent bugs, server instability, and performance issues have plagued the game. Despite community feedback, many of these issues remain unresolved, frustrating loyal players and deterring newcomers.
- Paywalls and Monetization: The introduction of paid DLCs and microtransactions created a divide in the community. Players criticized the emphasis on profit over the enhancement of the core gaming experience.
- Shift Away from Community Engagement: The game once thrived on its strong community and modding scene. Over time, Funcom’s reduced engagement with the player base and lack of responsiveness to feedback led to a sense of abandonment among players.
- Erosion of Gameplay Identity: While the game initially stood out in the survival genre, changes in mechanics, balancing issues, and a lack of innovation made Conan Exiles feel stagnant and disconnected from its original appeal.
The current state of the game reflects these compounded missteps, with many players expressing nostalgia for what Conan Exiles used to be. Servers that were once lively and full of interaction now sit empty, symbolizing the fallout of choices that failed to align with the expectations and desires of the community.
For Funcom, a course correction emphasizing technical stability, community-driven updates, and a return to the game’s core survival essence may be the only path to revive player interest and restore Conan Exiles to its former glory.
The Missed Opportunity: Conan Exiles and the Next-Gen Console Gap
Conan Exiles has struggled to keep pace with advancements in gaming technology, particularly with the rise of next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Originally designed for the PlayStation 4 and older systems, the game lacks many modern features that players now expect, such as ray tracing, higher frame rates, faster load times, and enhanced graphical fidelity.
The absence of a fully optimized version for next-gen consoles has further contributed to the decline in active players. As gamers transition to more powerful systems, they naturally gravitate toward titles that take advantage of these capabilities. Conan Exiles, in its current state, feels outdated when compared to newer or updated games within the survival genre.
Porting Conan Exiles to PS5 and other next-gen platforms with a robust overhaul could serve as a much-needed reboot for the game. Leveraging advanced features such as improved textures, ray tracing, and enhanced performance could breathe new life into the experience, enticing both new players and those who have left due to stagnation. A well-executed next-gen release could also revive interest in multiplayer servers, potentially reversing the trend of inactive communities and dwindling server activity.
Funcom has an opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of Conan Exiles by adapting it to the technological standards of today. Doing so could reignite the game’s appeal and solidify its place in the survival genre for years to come. Without such an effort, however, the game risks becoming increasingly irrelevant in an industry that continues to evolve rapidly.
Will Conan Exiles Catch Up Before It’s Too Late?
As gaming technology advances rapidly, Conan Exiles faces a critical challenge: staying relevant in a market dominated by next-gen experiences. With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X now well-established, the game’s lack of optimization for these consoles has left it trailing behind competitors in the survival genre.
The question looms large: will Conan Exiles ever make it to the latest consoles before the next generation, such as the rumored PlayStation 6, arrives? Funcom’s delay in delivering a fully optimized version risks alienating its player base further, as newer systems raise the bar for graphical fidelity, performance, and features like ray tracing. By the time Funcom catches up, it’s possible the gaming landscape could already have moved on to even more advanced platforms.
A next-gen update could reinvigorate interest in Conan Exiles, but the window of opportunity is narrowing. If Funcom fails to act swiftly and decisively, the game risks being left behind entirely, its potential overshadowed by the next wave of technological innovation. Without a clear roadmap or commitment to modernization, the game’s future on consoles remains uncertain.
Is “Dune: Awakening” Replacing Conan Exiles? The Potential End of an Era
With Funcom’s focus shifting to its ambitious new title, Dune: Awakening, questions are emerging about the future of Conan Exiles. Positioned as an expansive survival MMO in the beloved Dune universe, Dune: Awakening is poised to capture significant attention, potentially overshadowing Conan Exiles.
This shift raises concerns among Conan fans about whether Funcom is quietly moving on from its once-flagship survival game. Resources and development efforts seem to be reallocating toward the new project, leaving Conan Exiles in a state of stagnation with unresolved issues and minimal innovation.
While Dune: Awakening offers the potential for groundbreaking gameplay in a fresh setting, it risks marking the end of an era for Conan Exiles. Without renewed investment or a significant update to modernize the Conan experience, the game’s player base could dwindle further, leaving its servers even more barren.
The ultimate question is whether Dune: Awakening represents a new direction for Funcom or simply a replacement for an aging title. For fans of Conan Exiles, the hope is that both games can coexist, with Funcom breathing new life into Conan rather than letting it fade into history.