Tackling the hugely competitive market for multiplayer online gaming, game developer Mighty Kingdom (ASX: MKL) is set to join the party with the first ever title for console to be Conan Chop Chop – an online hack’n’slash game for kids. 

Development of Conan Chop Chop first commenced in March 2019 when Mighty Kingdom partnered with Funcom Oslo who held the intellectual property rights to the Conan the Barbarian brand. The partnership leveraged Mighty Kingdom’s expertise in children’s gaming while the application of Conan provides a unique take on the multiplayer adventure genre where players must collect loot and hack’n’slash through a vast range of epic battles.

“Funcom has been a fantastic partner throughout the development of this, our first console game, and we’ve created an experience which will appeal to a broad audience with an ESRB E PEGI rating of 7+ suitable for parents and children alike,” said Mighty Kingdom Managing Director, Phillip Mayes. 

“We can’t wait to share it with the world! Its launch represents the first milestone in our deep pipeline of titles that has been scheduled for release in FY22 and FY23.” 

With the game finished, its launch will commence from February 21 at various industry events with a limited demo to be offered on Nintendo Switch. The full release of the game will then commence from March 1 onwards with Conan Chop Chop to be available on PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo Switch and PC. 

Revenue generated from game sales will be shared between both Mighty Kingdom and Funcom once the development costs have been recouped with Mighty Kingdom planning a strong marketing push over the coming weeks. 

Making the game most attractive is the large amount of optionality throughout the game where there are trillions of combinations between weapons, armour and magic charms. By offering this high level of optionality, it effectively means that no two run throughs will be the same, expected to ensure the game is endlessly replayable. 

The expansion into this online multiplayer action adventure is a notable shift away from Mighty Kingdom’s other titles where they have developed games for brands such as Lego, Disney, Mattel and others of similar audiences. 

Should commercial success be achieved from the launch of Conan Chop Chop, it would not only enhance their own game development profile but bode well for the planned expansion of Mighty Kingdom’s Work-for-Hire division. 

This seeks to replicate a model that has proven hugely lucrative for other Australian game developers that can be contracted by larger gaming companies to develop elements within games, but relinquish ownership over the work developed. The popularity of these contracts within the gaming industry have become increasingly popular amid the war on talent in the tech industry, accentuated by international border restrictions. 

Mighty Kingdom recently raised $5.4 million in fresh capital to expand their Work-for-Hire capabilities with recent work completed for games including Barbie’s Fashion Closet, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Shopkins. 

For the quarter ended 31 December 2021, Mighty Kingdom generated $1.35m in customer receipts, a quarterly record for the Company.