Anarchy Online (AO) is a science fiction MMORPG released in June 2001 by Funcom set on the world of Rubi-Ka and its extra-dimensional twin, the Shadowlands. It is one of the few popular MMORPGs that makes use of a science fiction setting as opposed to the more common fantasy setting.
The story is set in the years following June 29475; the current game year is 29482. The story of Anarchy Online revolves primarily around two factions, the hypercorporation Omni-Tek and the rebel worker caste, the Clans. These two factions are fighting for control of Rubi-Ka. In addition to these two, there is a third faction of Neutral observers, people who have decided to take no side in that particular conflict. The war has been waged on and off for centuries. In addition, there have been larger conflicts between Omni-Tek and other corporations over the control of Rubi-Ka.
Rubi-Ka, a seemingly useless desert planet, is of such tremendous importance because it is the only known source in the universe of the fictional substance notum. Omni-Tek, having been granted exclusive ownership rights to the planet, controlled notum for many years and benefited tremendously when it was discovered that the mineral would revolutionize, and eventually become the key component of, nanotechnology. The discovery of notum's properties led to the development of technologies that seem very much like magic, including programs that create things such as fire and ice, heal injury, shield people from harm, affect their physical bodies, and even achieve resurrection. Notum even makes its way into the very genetic makeup of some sub-breeds of humans.
Due to Omni-Tek's unfettered control of Rubi-Ka, the corporation was largely free to do as it wished with its colonists and the planet. For most of the early years, Omni-Tek did its best to treat its people well, even to the point of receiving commendations for its treatment of workers. However, over the centuries, Omni-Tek's policies degraded, until finally, approximately 500 years after the planet was first settled, a significant number of poorly-treated colonists rebelled and began to secretly trade stolen notum to a rival corporation. This led to a series of wars between Omni-Tek and the colonists, and between Omni-Tek and its rival corporations.
Players are presented with four breeds each with male or female choices, except for the neuter Atrox race. Breeds affect a character's primary abilities, which will affect the distribution of improvement points in the skill system later on. There are four breeds: Atrox, big and strong but not too smart; Nanomage, frail but intellectually developed; Solitus, effective at any task, but excellent in none; and Opifex, physically lacking, but agile and cunning.
While the game may have been created in 2001, the game community is still very much alive with the introduction of the free-play program as well as the Lost Eden expansion. Although Funcom is busy preparing two new MMORPGs in various stages of development (Age of Conan, and The Secret World), the company has seen a lot of growth in the last few years and Anarchy Online still appears to be one of their top priorities. In 2007, Anarchy has received major content updates to most of the Shadowlands areas, additions to Alien Invasion content, new Lost Eden items and encounters, and several new high-level encounters on Rubi-Ka. The game was also recently migrated to new blade servers and plans are in the works for a graphics engine overhaul in 2008.