Eq subscription numbersFollow

EverQuest (Accuracy Rating: B)

Launched on March 16, 1999, EQ’s figures pretty much speak for themselves. At one point their growth seemed nearly unstoppable, but the trend began to slow between 2001 and 2003, and after peaking at about 460,000 subscribers, EQ went into decline. SOE’s last official statement regarding EQ’s subscribers in 2004 only claimed “over 420,000”. The latter data points on the graph come not from press releases, but from inside sources, and they show a somewhat different picture, with a high of some 550,000 subscribers in September 2004. It is important to note that the more recent data points represent not just total monthly subscribers, but also subscribers with active accounts on free time, eligible accounts on game time cards, etc. SOE station pass subscriptions are not counted unless they actually have registered an EQ account. It is possible that the earlier figures from the SOE press releases were deliberately conservative, and/or did not count such accounts, thus accounting for this apparent discrepancy. As of May 2005, EQ had fallen sharply to only 200,000 current subscribers.

B – This indicates that while some of the data points shown may be official, a substantial number come from press articles, unproven inside sources, or other indirect means. The numbers may not be exact for the MMOG in question, but are certainly in the ballpark.

World of Warcraft (Accuracy Rating: A)

Launched on November 12, 2004, Blizzard’s entry into the MMOG market has been a runaway phenomenon, outpacing all expectations. As stated in Blizzard’s latest press release, "World of Warcraft customers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or purchased a prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the installation box bundled with one free month access. Internet Game Room players that have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as customers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired pre-paid cards. Customers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules." According to this definition, as of June 2006, WoW has reached 6.6 million subscribers worldwide, including over 1 million in Europe and somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million in North America, with most of the remainder in China.