Everquest concurrent usage up 40% since going free-to-play

SOE proudly announced Everquest's successful transition into free-to-play.  Since abandoning the subscription model last month, the landmark MMO has seen an increase of 40% in concurrent usage.  In addition, unique log-ins have increased by 150% while EQ registrations have increased 3.5 times since going F2P.

The micro-transaction system seems to be working as well.  SOE reported a "flourishing economy" which has seen an 125% increase in Item Sales.  The Dark Elves and Drakkin are the most popular races purchased, with the Necromancers and Shaman as the most popular classes.  The Black Pegasus (AKA Onyx Skystrider) is the most popular Mount purchases.

The Everquest dev team has created a new "Living Legend" video (above) showcasing many of the game's areas and characters to help new players adjust to all of the fun content introduced in EQ since its 1999 release.

Everquest's successful transition is a prime example of how going free-to-play can result in a reemergence of popularity.  In fact, many of today's floundering MMOs are abandoning the subscription model and instead turning to the micro-transaction system.  Most have reported the transitions as successful, and in some cases, make the game more popular then when it was subscription.