Most MMORPGs take us to fantasy universes, future worlds, or alternate realities. Now the makers of Age of Conan, Anarchy Online, and The Longest Journey have announced a new MMO which is set on a contemporary world.

Yup. This universe, same earth, same time. Called The Secret World, it focuses on the stuff of legend, mysteries, conspiracy theories, and myth. Imagine a real world and a secret world that co-exists with ours. The basic difference is, in the secret world magic exists and ancient enemies fight for domination. Oh and did we mention the monsters? Funcom">Ragnar Tornquist, producer and director at Funcom, had this to say about the upcoming video game for the PC and Xbox 360:

We started envisioning this contemporary online world more than ten years ago, and as the years passed the ideas grew and improved. We always wanted a different kind of online world, something scary and contemporary, something deeper and closer to our reality. Our goal now is to create a detailed world where players feel empowered and part of something big, something mystical and epic.

Trond Arne Aas, Funcom CEO is enthusiastic about the contemporary setting, saying that players will want to "explore something beyond traditional fantasy and sci-fi games". Currently, The Secret World is in a playable state. It has been in development since last summer and jointly produced by Funcom Oslo and Beijing. As of the moment, Funcom's tight-lipped about the release date of The Secret World.

We'll be keeping you posted - this writer is definitely waiting for beta on this one. For now, check out the character art and the screenshots of various cities. Enjoy!

The rest of the screenshots right after the jump!