Age of Conan and The Longest Journey developer Funcom has announced that it intends to to reduce its workforce by 20% as part of a cost-cutting program.

The cuts will chiefly strike Funcom's Norwegian branch. Funcom employs over 300 people worldwide with studios in the USA, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and China. The US division was struck by a number of layoffs in November 2008.

Funcom also reveals that The Secret World has been delayed by "some months" to ensure it meets "the high expectations amongst fans and gamers," though there is still no indication when the MMORPG set in a fantastical version of reality will be released.

Development on Age of Conan's upcoming expansion pack Rise of the Godslayer "will continue as planned." No mention was made of whether the cuts will impact the fantasy MMORPG's Xbox 360 release, which was originally expected to arrive in 2008.

After years of teases, Age of Conan and Anarchy Online developer Funcom has released the first screenshots from its third massively multiplayer title, The Secret World.

Conceived and directed by The Longest Journey creator Ragnar Tornquist, the modern-day MMO tells of a supernatural conflict involving three secret societies: the Illuminati, the Dragon and the Templars. Unlike many other entries in the genre, including Funcom's past MMOs, The Secret World is said to have "no classes or levels."

No word on when the PC and Xbox 360 MMO will launch, but beta signups are open.

Last time, it was a fiery supernatural break-in. Now, the second teaser for The Secret World is out, showing that even playgrounds aren't safe in the modern-day MMO.

Developed by Funcom (Age of Conan), The Secret World is billed as having "no classes or levels, thus giving the player complete freedom of choice when creating and developing his or her alter-ego." Still no word as to when the PC and Xbox 360 title will launch, but beta signups are now open through a secret society placement test.

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Funcom has released the first teaser trailer for The Secret World, fleshing out the world and setting of the upcoming action MMO with a short cautionary tale about the need for supernatural security and flaming swords in the modern world.

No word yet as to when the PC and Xbox 360 MMO will arrive, but as this video is "to be continued," expect the Age of Conan and Anarchy Online dev to reveal more shortly.

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Nearly two years after the game was first announced, Age of Conan and The Longest Journey developer Funcom is ready to be "a little less secret" about The Secret World.

The studio has revealed that it will begin "to lift the veil" by showing the MMO behind closed doors at this year's Game Developers Conference, which runs from March 23-27. Director Ragnar Tornquist--creator of the The Longest Journey series-- will be on hand to discuss the title and provide new details.

Unlike most massively multiplayer online role-playing games, the PC and Xbox 360 title is set in the present day, with the stated goal "to create a detailed world where players feel empowered and part of something big, something mystical and epic."

Creator of the acclaimed The Longest Journey adventure series Ragnar Tornquist wrote on his blog that the episodic sequel Dreamfall Chapters may be low on developer Funcom's list of priorities, but is still in the works.

"Dreamfall Chapters—and, by proxy, The Longest Journey—isn't Funcom's highest priority at this point," wrote Tornquist. "With Age of Conan live, The Secret World staffing up in every department, and other games in various stages of development, the project is currently on the back burner—but it hasn't been abandoned."

Dreamfall Chapters would mark the third release in the Longest Journey series, which debuted on PCs in 2000. A sequel, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (PC, Xbox) was released in 2006.

"There's stuff that needs to happen before we close the book on our characters and their collective fates," added Tornquist. "When will things move forward? I actually don't know... It'll be a while, but we're not going to ask you to wait forever."