Funcom Lays Off Staff, Names New CEO in Shift to Two Survival Games

Funcom will reduce the size of its organization and part with staff as it narrows its focus to the long-term operation of Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles, the Norway-based developer and publisher announced on October 14, 2026, with Chief Product Officer Scott Junior stepping up as CEO.

The restructuring process begins now, and Funcom said that, out of respect for the employees involved, it will not share further details until the process has concluded. The company said the restructuring will guarantee its focus on Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles going forward, and that it remains committed to supporting, expanding, and growing both games and their communities for years to come.

Rui Casais, who has led Funcom for the past 11 years and will depart at the end of 2026, pointed to the scale of Dune: Awakening in explaining the decision.

“Dune: Awakening has been the biggest project we have ever undertaken, requiring many years of significant development resources across our studios,” Casais said. “Moving from full production into long-term post-launch development and operations requires a different organization. While we would have wanted everyone who helped build Dune: Awakening to continue with us, we cannot sustain the size and structure required during peak development as we move into this next phase.”

Casais said his focus is ensuring the process is as supportive as possible for everyone affected, and treating colleagues with respect and transparency.

A 25-Year Veteran Steps Up

Junior has been with Funcom for 25 years and has led the post-launch development and live operations of several of the company’s biggest games, including Conan Exiles, The Secret World, and Age of Conan. He also served as Executive Producer on Dune: Awakening, leading the teams bringing the game to market on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Funcom said the leadership transition plays directly to his experience in live game development and operations.

Junior said that leading the continued growth of both games is a big responsibility and that he is honored to be entrusted with it.

“My focus going forward will be ensuring Funcom is organized in the best way possible to expand these games for many years to come through new content and gameplay, while fostering a close relationship with our dedicated communities,” he said.

Junior added that Funcom has deep experience creating survival and open-world games, and that the team’s focus is on growing Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles, delivering experiences for players, and building on the foundation Casais helped create.

Casais Leaves After 22 Years

Casais leaves the CEO role after 22 years at Funcom. He joined the company in 2004 as a Junior AI Programmer on Age of Conan, became Chief Technology Officer in 2008, and stepped up as CEO in 2015.

Under his leadership, Funcom launched Conan Exiles, which the company said recouped its development budget in five days and remains one of its most profitable and most-played games nearly a decade later.

Casais also led Funcom through its acquisition by Tencent, which the company said created room for greater investment and growth, including continued development of Conan Exiles and the creation of Dune: Awakening, its largest project to date. He expanded Funcom’s development capacity through the acquisition of Portugal-based developer ZPX.

He established the company’s third-party publishing business, which brought games including Metal: Hellsinger, Mutant Year Zero, and Aloft to market, and led the acquisition of Cabinet Entertainment, giving Funcom control of intellectual property including Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, and Mutant Year Zero.

Casais said the timing was a natural one for him personally to move on, adding that he was very proud of what Funcom had achieved. He said the company is now entering a different phase in which the team must concentrate on the continued development and live operation of the two games, and that he fully trusts Junior’s ability to grow them going forward.

Two Survival Games Across Three Platforms

Dune: Awakening was first released on PC in June 2025 and launched on PlayStation and Xbox in September, joining Conan Exiles as Funcom’s second survival game available across all three platforms. With that major development cycle complete, Funcom said it will shift its primary focus toward the long-term operation, growth, and expansion of both games.

Conan Exiles recently saw the release of an Enhanced edition, which Funcom said it will continue to expand upon.

Funcom is a developer and publisher of online games for PC and consoles. The company has operated since 1993 and has released more than twenty games, with titles including The Longest Journey, Anarchy Online, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Secret World Legends, The Park, and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.

Casais will depart Funcom at the end of 2026. Until then, he will work closely with Junior to manage the restructuring process and ensure a smooth transition of leadership.