In a recent investor relations update, developer Funcom pinned its recent share price downturn on MMO The Secret World’s allegedly poor Metacritic performance.
"Following the launch of The Secret World on the 3rd of July 2012, Funcom's share price has decreased significantly," Funcom states in the update, acknowledging the halving of its share price which occurred over the past few days.
"A game like The Secret World, which is not based on a well-known brand, is normally dependent on positive press reviews to achieve successful initial sales, in addition – but not limited – to other factors like word of mouth," the update goes on to explain.
Connecting the game’s Metascore to current financial woes, the update explains that the game’s aggregate score of 72/100 “must be considered low.” Interestingly, The Secret World is one of the few games with a higher review score on Metacritic than a professional one, with the average user score being 8.4/10.
However, while game sales aren’t meeting expectations, the real-money shop is making more than forecasted. As well, Funcom has decided to put the game up for sale on Steam and is “implementing several cost-adjustment initiatives due to the expected lower initial revenues from The Secret World to secure future positive cash flows,” according to the update.
