EverQuest 2 player counts jumps 300 percent since going free-to-play
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley has said that EverQuest 2 has seen "amazing growth" since the game switched its model to free-to-play last month, and offered stats for the game.
It looks like going free-to-play was a good decision for the world of EverQuest 2, as Sony Online Entertainment has said the game has seen "amazing growth" since making the switch last month.
Among the stats released for the game is the staggering 300% "increase in new players." Daily logins have also jumped, seeing a 40% spike since going free-to-play.
SOE's recent strategy has been to offer free-to-play options to its current crop of MMOs, including DC Universe Online, which switched to the model less than one year after the game's initial launch.
EverQuest 2's shift was slightly different than that of DCUO, combining a preexisting free-to-play model used in EverQuest 2: Extended with the standard version of EverQuest 2 in order to minimize complaints from its divided community.
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley revealed the stats via Twitter, adding that the change came "during the time that some really good competition hit the market," referencing the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
EverQuest 2 has also seen a 200% "increase in item sales," plus SOE says that the game has added "a lot of new [subscriptions]."
After going free-to-play, DC Universe Online had similarly good fortune, with daily revenues seeing a 700% jump within the first few weeks. SOE's next title is Planetside 2, which will launch as a free-to-play title later this year.
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replyXav de Matos posted a new article, EverQuest 2 player counts jumps 300 percent since going free-to-play.
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley has said that EverQuest 2 has seen "amazing growth" since the game switched its model to free-to-play last month, and offered stats for the game.-
How are publishers still shocked by the fact people like free stuff?
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Sounds more like bragging/advertisement than shock to me.
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i am shocked that people would play everquest 2 even for free
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It feels really, really, dated these days. It needs a major UI overhaul.
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I wonder how much more money MMOs make after going f2p. Have any of them reported that kind of stuff?
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I haven't seen anything except the "wooo, we got a surge right after switching" announcements, which is not that interesting, really. It's worth noting that LOTRO is still running a bunch of servers, though.
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This is such a bullshit press release.
%300 tells us nothing.-
Exactly. Especially considering SOE don't release sub numbers.. i'd be very surprised if EQ2 still had 10k players + Sony have a habit of counting players that log in for 10 minutes and never return in their numbers.. 300% is probably sod all. In the last 2 years it's seen a steady decline in the player-base (even the hardcore faithful that have been playing since day 1 have left).. broken and ignored mechanics for months while shiny items are added to the 'station cash' marketplace coupled with an expansion pack with no new content besides a new class, some AA and crafting (oh and a laughable dungeon decorator) have left many people disillusioned.
It's a shame, EQ2 was a great game that's been let down by several years of bad decisions and changes in producers / visions every 6 months (at one point).
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This is why I'm afraid Planetside 2 is going to be kinda hard to take. I rather pay monthly and Get all my guns and certifications rather than get some guns and have to cough up real money for a pistol that I will only own for a few days...I think its bullshit because you end up paying more money in the long run I believe....I don't know im reserving judgement until the game comes out but...I am hoping it doesn't suck.
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Now just make warhammer online f2p!
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EQ2 is F2P now? Soooo tempted to restart my account.
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