Funcom announces date for Conan Exiles full release

Conan Exiles, the barbaric survival-MMO that aspires to one day enable players to create a "necklace of dicks" (no, really), has been available in Early Access for almost a year now. It took a big step toward full release today, however, as Funcom announced that it will leave Early Access on May 8, 2018.

"Early Access and Game Preview has been an absolutely invaluable tool for us in developing Conan Exiles," creative director Joel Bylos said. "Being able to get direct feedback from players has allowed us to focus our work on improvements, bug fixes, and new content. We still have a few months to go and are by no means done squashing bugs and making improvements. We’re working hard on new content and gameplay mechanics – including the new jungle and volcano biomes!"

The full release of the game will also see a jump in price, from the $30 it's currently going for to $40, or ten bucks more than that on consoles. Pre-purchasing will also get you Conan's Royal Armor, "the regal armor that Conan himself wears when he becomes King of Aquilonia."

A physical "Day One" edition is also coming, which will include a printed map of the Exiled Lands and the Conan's Atlantean Sword item, as is a big Collector's Edition, which will have a six-inch-tall Conan figurine, a Dark Horse comic book, art book, and other assorted goodies. Details are up now at conanexiles.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.