EverQuest Officially Goes Free to Play on March 16

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By Kevin Parrish
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Sony Online Entertainment has officially nailed down the date it will throw open the EverQuest doors to F2P gamers.

Sony Online Entertainment has nailed down the launch date for the free-to-play (F2P) model for EverQuest, and it's exactly 13 years years after its original launch: March 16. Previously the company said the new model would arrive sometime in March, but didn’t set a specific date. It was assumed to be on the MMORPG's 13th anniversary due to the festivities.

"We're celebrating EverQuest's 13th birthday in a big way!" SOE reports. "On Friday, March 16, 2012 we will be launching EverQuest Free to Play. Your Way. EQ's birthday is always a big event, and this year we combine it with one of the most exciting things to happen in the history of EQ. Mark your calendars and get ready for one huge celebration, with 13th Anniversary events and the transition to Free to Play both coming on March 16!"

To celebrate the birthday/F2P launch occasion, Sony will host additional events within the game starting that week and leading up to the Special Birthday on Friday. New items are currently being introduced within The Plane of Knowledge to give existing members a taste of what's to come. Other changes and additions include a revamped EverQuest.com website once the F2P model goes live, and an improved Map system.

SOE is also calling on fans to create their own maps which could be used within the game. So far there are no specific details regarding how map-makers and artists will be able to submit their work, but the company says it will ask for these maps soon. More information about the custom map-making can be found here.

EverQest will likely feature a three-tier structure similar to EverQuest 2, offering a basic free account, a silver account providing extra perks once players spend $5, and a full-blown monthly subscription granting access to everything EverQuest has to offer. EverQuest 2 incorporated the F2P model in December 2011 and initially experienced a 40-percent increase in long-in as a result.

Kevin Parrish
15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • AznCracker
    Wow that game is so old, im surprised anyone still payed to play it.
    Reply
  • lunyone
    I would still play it, but for $15/month I won't. It should be worth about $5/month. It has vast areas that no other game has, as far as I can tell. I used to play until about the time WoW came out. Than WoW took things by storm (made things easier to do) and the rest is history. Now I see that EQ has added/changed quite a few things and have made things easier to do also, so time will tell if it will live on for too much longer.
    Reply
  • Darkerson
    azncrackerWow that game is so old, im surprised anyone still payed to play it. Age doesn't automatically make a game bad. And yes, you would be surprised how many do still play. It was enough that they made the sequel f2p before the original. Anyway, I know Ill be playing. Nothing will ever recapture what EQ had going for it in the early days.

    If you really want to play for free, though, and in an official capacity, the EQMac server was made completely free to play recently. All you need is a SOE account, and there is a guide floating around on places like reddit that shows you how to connect to the server if you dont have a mac. Its stuck in time as far as progression goes, but the community there is very tight knit. Good times!
    Reply
  • triny
    online games look like 1999 graphics
    I see no worth to them unless pick up the pace
    Reply
  • Darkerson
    trinyonline games look like 1999 graphicsI see no worth to them unless pick up the pace
    I dont know what online games you are playing...the only ones I play that look like that are the ones that were from that time frame. Have you upgraded in the last decade? :P
    Reply
  • Ragnar-Kon
    azncrackerWow that game is so old, im surprised anyone still payed to play it.Counter Strike is one of the oldest games around. First released in 1999 as a mod and now at version 1.6 is still one of the bigger players in professional gaming. Money to be made playing that game. Goes to show that the age of the game doesn't matter.
    trinyonline games look like 1999 graphicsI see no worth to them unless pick up the paceYeah I dunno what games you've been playing but I'm going to have to agree with darkerson on this one. WoW is still (somehow) one of the more popular games out there, and it is online, but it was released in 2006.
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    Halo should go FtP. That is, a free download and key to the game.
    Reply
  • XZaapryca
    Ragnar-KonWoW is still (somehow) one of the more popular games out there, and it is online, but it was released in 2006.
    WoW was released in late 2004.
    Reply
  • QEFX
    trinyonline games look like 1999 graphicsI see no worth to them unless pick up the pace
    You do realize that fancy graphics doesn't equal a good game.

    Reply
  • Raidur
    Screw what trash EQ has been turned into.

    Classic Everquest Emulation Project 1999 FTW! The way the game was MEANT to be played.
    Reply