Mike Morhaime, Blizzard's CEO and co-founder, has admitted that Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has made an impact on the population of World of Warcraft. However, it's not as big as some would have expected. To find out more, check out the full article.

With the great response the community gave Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, it's no surprise that it has topped the US PC sales charts. To find out more, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

It's not uncommon to see year-in-reviews and next-year forecasts as another year draws to close. This holds true to the MMORPG scene as well.

After looking back on World of Warcraft's success in 2007, industry watchers have named other MMORPGs that may prove to be serious threats to Blizzard's MMORPG in 2008. Find out what they are after the jump!

Has the fun factor gone out of your favorite MMORPG? It might be a natural thing, but Funcom quest designer for Age of Conan">Joel Bylos, Funcom's Age of Conan (PC, Xbox 360) quest designer, has more to say about hit games losing their sparkle- especially Blizzard's World of Warcraft.

Joel Bylos shares his two-cents' worth after the jump!

World of Warcraft (WoW) is definitely the strongest and most successful MMO video game out there today. This is not say though that there is no competition. Truth be told, there was a general feeling around the industry during the start of WoW's dominance that developers should stay away from the genre in the mean time.

But it looks like things are changing now. As BBC reported, there are other games out there other than WoW that belong to the same genre. And we can't help but agree. Even Funcom game director Gaute Godoger agrees. Currently, Funcom is in the last stages of development for Age of Conan and it's planning to give Blizzard a run for its money. Godoger commented,

We need other strong games that can make people understand that there's more to it than WoW. It's for adults. We did not want to be a teen-rated game, we wanted to have the possibility of making a game that takes the licence seriously. Players want to be more active in combat and know that their skill as a player matters.

Aside from Funcom, Codemasters is in a very good position now to take some slice off WoW's user base with the release of The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar a couple of weeks ago. Just like Conan, Codemasters is hoping that the lore's installed fan base will be drawn to the game. According to VP and GM David Solari,

Having that brand or licence is very valuable for getting a ready-made audience. The very least you have to do is make a great game. For the first time we have allowed players to shape Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Players want something they can feel they can own themselves.

Lastly, LucasArts is looking to make a comeback in the MMO genre as several changes and revamps are being planned to Star Wars Galaxies. It was released back in 2003 and is also relying heavily on the license's strength. Galaxies Producer Jake Neri commented that while they are happy with WoW's success, they are pretty sure that their game will remain a strong competitor,

The player base for MMO games has exploded. We see new people trying the game all the time. Galaxies was one of the first MMOs.There was no handbook on how to do these things. They make the place come alive, just by their playing style.