EverQuest Producer's Letter April 2022

My guess is that it is much cheaper nowadays to host an MMO than it was back then(even accounting for inflation). MMOs are not "exotic" anymore.
If that guess is correct, then the spare money aren't helping EQ1. If the guess is wrong, then how can DBG afford all those non-EQ1 related projects?

If the subscription is still only supposed to just cover maintenance, then Im not sure we get such a good deal, at least if we look at EQ1 in isolation.

We pay the same price as we paid when we only got a single game for the price except now we get more and it is still cheaper or comparable to other MMO's. As an example the best deal you can get on WoW is $12.99 a month.

WoW runs and looks much better. I wish EQ1 could get a deal like that.

Yet if you follow the game closer you will find people talking about how bad the expansions are among other complaints. Just because a game has fancier graphics doesn't mean it is any good.

No matter how you look at it we are not going to get a cheaper price on a subscription or are they going to cut down the number of games with a price cut.

As I said: I can live with the current price, if the money I pay, goes to improving the game I play.

Awful lot of over-thinking going on.

I swear some of you would argue with a fence post just for the sake of arguing.

That is true and sometimes I fall into the same trap. On the other hand, if my fence posts would stop yelling at me I would be far less likely to have to talk back.

Gotta know when to hold em, know when to show em....

Oh, wait I am not a talking fence post - I will be quiet

It might be better for the players to replace AllAccess with EQAccess if that could make EQ cheaper. An EQ player that does subscribe does primary only want to play EQ and not other games that might be more expensive.

It is not that easy as DBG does use a mixed calculation. In the past there was no marketplace, perks, Kronos, premium expansions and other thing that created extra revenue. Today many players do in total pay even more than the $9.89 from 1999 which is about $17 now because of money inflation.

EQ started at $9.89 for just an EQ subscription and 23 years later you can get all access for $9.99, you are not going to get just EQ for any cheaper

You don't need to make market place purchases, buy perks, krono or premium expansions to play. You can stick with the the yearly subscription and cheapest expansion pack and enjoy this game with no issues.

You are arguing like EQ does not create much revenue but it is the most efficient and successfull MMO ever on the gaming market according to Jeff Butler on twitch. Something DBG would never tell the players as it is a clear indicator how totally overpriced EQ is. DBG has financed the development and maintenance of more than a half dozen other games by EQ ! Do you know how much money that is ? Other companies fail to develop just one MMO and the success rate to bring a game live is maybe just 5%. Not many companies can bring their games into alpha or beta phases at all.

You seem to forget that EQ is 23 years old which does mean that it is much less worth than in the past where it was a modern game even when including all the content inflation (= bloat) that got added. Server, electricity, and generally maintenance costs are very small today compared to the costs in the past. Many processes are automated and downsized now and there are approved efficient routines.

The reality is totally different. Many players have the illusion that this would work for them but instead they buy much extra stuff. I do reckon that the average EQ account does create revenue as high as $20 per month when including everything. It is totally unimportant if a few players never buy anything from DBG. The average revenue per account is what does count.

I always wondered if you McMarrin are a paid DBG forum troll (employee) who has the job to keep the revenue on the top and to infiltrate and drive unpleasant discussions that could cut them down. You seem to never sleep and do always arguing from a DBG perspective.

From what I remember the sub did not go up when they went over to all access. Therefore you pay 9.99 to play EQ and you get the other games for free.

I never said it doesn't generate much revenue or that it is the most efficient and successful MMO ever, please don't put words into my mouth. All I have been saying is that EQ is already cheap and it costs just a little bit more then it did on launch and actually less then it did when you account for inflation. There is no reason to make it any cheaper then it already is

Yes it is very possible to play without market place purchases, purchasing perks, krono or premium expansions. None of those are required to play the game at all just because you feel the need to make those purchases doesn't make them required. There are plenty of people who are able to play the game without purchasing any of those items.

This is true and something that people like to overlook when they ask for a cheaper price.

Well, it’s not done for the benefit of the customer.

And getting all the games doesn't cause the customer to pay more.

It leads to it.

How does a subscription which has stayed at a constant price for decades lead to the customer paying more? In 1999 you could subscribe to EQ for the low price of $9.89 and in 2022 you can subscribe to EQ (and other daybreak games) for the low price of $9.99 a month. All access has been around for a long time now and they have not raised the price. In fact you can pay less then the old all access plan that they had before they got rid of induvial game subscriptions.

It hasn't in the several years that All Access has existed.