IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Everquest II Sees 300% Player Increase After Free-To-Play Flip

Posted January 11, 2012 by M.H. Williams

Free-to-play - once reviled by Western MMO developers - has become the savior of underperforming MMO titles. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) recently made Everquest II free-to-play, hoping to drum up some attention and business for the title.  According to SOE president John Smedley, the move has worked out quite well. 

“We are seeing some amazing growth in EQ2. 40% increase in daily logins since going f2p. 300% increase in new players,” wrote Smedley on Twitter.

“200% increase in Item sales. Plus we have added a lot of new subs. All during the time that some really good competition hit the market ,” he added.

It’s good that companies have found a way to keep smaller titles alive in a tough market. It will be interesting to see if SOE launches the next Planetside and Everquest titles as free-to-play or subscription-based.

M.H. Williams has been writing in some form or another for ten years and has been a hardcore gamer since the NES first graced American shores.  You can catch him on Twitter as @AutomaticZen, Google+ as himself, or on his personal Facebook page.