I still remember my first encounter with Everquest. I read the description of the game and was immediately hooked. The idea of being thrown into a world that gave me the freedom to explore and just get lost in endless quests seemed so appealing. Unfortunately my computer couldn’t handle it but I swore that one day, when I had a good enough computer, I would buy that game. I’m sad to say that the day never came. I’ve played a ton of different MMO’s in my time but I never played this…but all that is about to change.
On March 16, 2012, Everquest will turn 13 years old and to celebrate it was just announced that the game would be going free to play! Players will be given a choice of three different subscription plans. A Free Plan, a Silver Plan that will cost $5, and a Gold Plan that will cost $14.99 a month. Obviously, each plan will have an advantage over the straight up free model. For example; if you get the Free Plan you will be limited to 2 characters per server and if you opt for the silver plan, you can have 4 per server, and if you opt for the gold plan you can have 8 per server. Of course there will be other limitations such as bag slots, coin limitations, active journal quests, and loyalty rewards. For a complete breakdown check out the official site here.
It’s interesting to note that Everquest 2 went free to play in December and within a month it saw a 300% increase in its player base, as well as a 40% increase in its daily logins. Obviously, Sony is hoping for a repeat in success with this move. Now its time to wait and see if they will have the same success.
Source: EQ Players
