New Conan project is... a survival game?

In a flurry of business-speak, Funcom announced in December that Conan Properties had made it "preferred partner" for all Conan the Barbarian videogames.

videogames. Three are thought to be in the works, and the first has now been revealed. Conan Exiles is... a survival craftinggame?

Tenuous but fitting, I suppose. Where better for scratching out a miserable existence than the Hyborian age, clubbing your enemies with axes and hearing the lamentations of passing man-serpents? Still, the official descriptioncontains little that we haven't heard before, aside from the nifty human sacrifice angle.

"Hungry, thirsty and alone, your very first battle is that against the harsh environment. Grow crops or hunt animals for food. Harvest resources to build weapons and tools. Build a shelter to survive. Ride across a vast world and explore alone, or band together with other players to build entire settlements and strongholds to withstand fierce invasions.

"When strong enough, march forth into battle and wage war against your enemies as you fight to dominate the exiled lands. Sacrifice enemy players on the altars of the gods and shift the balance of power your way."

Apparently there's a single-player mode on the cards too, so perhaps there's some undisclosed endgame of the sort not often seen in survival.

Conan Exiles is due to hit Early Access in summer. Tradition is tradition, right?