Holidays help, even when they're awfully brief, like mine was. Lazy days at home allow you some space - physically, mentally, and spiritually - to think about the things you don't normally have time to think about. And you get reenergised. That's crucial. Energy is good. Like banana milkshake, which is also good.

So I'm back, and I'm getting a lot more done than I have in the past few months. I've even had time to chat with the Anarchy Online community members in a forum thread about the story. Check it out. It's a good read.

What else? Oh, yeah. People keep e-mailing me about Midgard, mostly asking when we're going to make a decision about the Future - you know, what's next for Funcom, and will it be "Midgard"? Contrary to what some people think, yes, there is going to be another online world from Funcom! No, we're not abandoning AO - people live there, new people are moving in all the time, it's still the "best damn online game out there" (not an actual guarantee - your mileage may vary), and, last but not least: that's where we make the cash we need to keep workin'!

So how about it? What's happening? We haven't yet made a decision about whether or not to restart development on "Midgard". It might be our next game, it might be held back for a few more years until we're truly ready to tackle Vikings and Troll and Gods. When will the decision be made? Soon. Very soon. When are we going to inform you about that decision? Unfortunately, I can't give you a timeframe at this stage, simply because I don't know. Not right away, but as soon as it's feasible, and logical, to do so. As soon as we're sure our decision was the right one, and we're moving ahead with it, whatever "it" is.

What are the alternatives? There are a thousand possibilities, and the only thing we're truly certain of is that we're going to build on our strengths and the knowledge we've acquired through developing, launching, and running AO. Our past successes - and failures - won't be for naught: it'll bring us one step closer to a glorious online future. Yes.

More on this later.  ¶ 10:06