There may be a glimmer of hope for disappointed fans who read the news that MMO developer Funcom (Age of Conan, The Secret World) was forced to sack 20 percent of its workforce, as we reported a few months ago. The layoffs didn't look good for the development pace of The Secret World, one of the most-anticipated MMOs of the coming year. Ironically, reports of the layoffs came less than a month after Funcom expanded its studios to Montréal, Canada. "In addition to strengthening our North American presence, the new studio will take advantage of the great incentive programs offered by the Québec region, incentives that makes Montréal one of the most cost effective locations in the world for developing MMO games," a press release from Funcom announced, back then. "This will in turn allow us to better balance our costs, making it possible for us to continue to expand our investments into the MMO segment."

Just a few days ago, Miguel Caron finally took the helm as CEO of Funcom Games Canada, according to Edge. "Caron will take on leadership of several strategic initiatives for Funcom, in several different areas of the MMO sector," Edge writes in the article. "One of his first mandates will be to lead the growth in employees at the Montreal-based company." Whether you're interested in the finer points of the gaming industry or not, fans of Age of Conan and the upcoming The Secret World should find a bit of solace in the announcement; corporate stability and a proper workforce are vital in both maintaining existing MMOs and the development of upcoming titles, such as The Secret World.