Conan is "steak" to WOW's "McDonald's"

In an interview with Eurogamer published today, Gaute Godager, director of Funcom's hit new MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, said his game is like steak and wine when compared to the McDonald's burger and Coke that is World of Warcraft.

"I enjoy playing WOW, I enjoy playing Lord of the Rings Online," confessed Godager, before taking a swipe at his American rivals.

"But you know... I'm going to be a bit cheeky now, but if you've been to McDonald's for four or five years, and had your burger and your Coke, sometimes it's great to just have a great steak and a glass of good wine.

"I think that's what we're trying to do. It's more expensive, it's not for everyone and perhaps it's not as easily accessible as WOW is. But it could be more meaty," Godager finished.

Age of Conan's launch has been a roaring success, with a million copies shipped to retailers, and the number of players far exceeding Funcom's initial projections. But many players have complained of unfinished content.

In the interview, Godager admitted that a substantial amount of what was planned for the game's launch had to be held back for polishing.

"What we chose to do at launch was to play it safe - to pick areas and zones and regions and hold them back, then finish them post-launch... The big zones that we're giving out this Autumn like Ymir's Pass and others - those are definitely pre-launch stuff that was cut or put on hold." Many quests and even game features - including the separate levelling system for player-versus-player combat - were also held back, he said.