MMO developer Funcom announced that it has opened the official beta registration for The Secret World, its upcoming massively multiplayer online game set in the modern-day world that mixes reality with fantasy. The public can now register for a chance to participate in various phases of the beta that will be running up to the launch of the game in April 2012. During the next months Funcom will be increasing the number of beta participants gradually to test various elements within the game. The launch of the beta registration also signals the start of the first phase ‘The Secret War’, an interactive online experience that introduces players to the conflict between the Templars, the Illuminati, and the Dragon – the three factions in The Secret World – even before the game is released.

The second phase of the experience will allow users to expand the influence of their secret society through a social media connected, web-based game. Users can recruit friends and deploy them as agents for their cause, scoring points for themselves and their secret society. Users can also share assets from and information about The Secret World to score more points, allowing them to climb through the ranks of their secret society and unlock achievements, exclusive in-game equipment and weaponry, in-game titles, and a guaranteed beta access reward.

You can learn more about The Secret World at www.thesecretworld.com .