All good barbarians know that the more time spent sharpening weapons means the less time spent sacking villages and making off with booty. Funcom has apparently been putting this age-old adage to the test with its upcoming massively multiplayer online game, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Initially slated for a 2006 release, Age of Conan has been delayed several times. The PC version of the game is set to be published this October by UK-based publisher Eidos, with an Xbox 360 version to follow at a later date.

Funcom and Eidos announce that more than 100.000 gamers signed up for the 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' Beta test over the Easter holiday. Just within the first 24 hours of the announcement more than 50.000 gamers signed up to test the game.

"We have been waiting for this day since we started development on Age of Conan, and it will be an epic moment as we see large waves of players charging into Hyboria," said Gaute Godager, founder of Funcom and Game Director on 'Age of Conan'. "As we get ready to unleash the most brutal MMO ever created we will let an increasing amount of players test our creation. With extended Beta testing for months to come we can hone and polish based on large-scale feedback, allowing us to fulfill the potential of the game."

It will be up to gamers, through a beta test, to help ensure that the upcoming PC version of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is worthy of the name. Publishers Eidos and Funcom today opened up registration to play the MMORPG months before it hits shelves, and GameSpot has 500 slots reserved for the most battle-ready.

Funcom and Eidos continue to work on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the upcoming massively multiplayer role-playing game for the Xbox 360 and PC set in Robert E. Howard's famous fantasy universe of Conan the Barbarian. With Age of Conan set to launch in late October, the company plans to reveal more and more of the game in the coming months.

Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the universe created by author Robert E. Howard, was originally scheduled to be released in 2006. The game was then delayed to the first quarter of 2007, then later delayed to the second quarter of 2007 when Eidos agreed to copublish the game.