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| Zachary Pintchik |
"Similar, but different" has never described anything so well.
07.29.10 - 11:35 PM
Sony Online Entertainment has announced that EverQuest II is going free-to-play, but not in the manner you might think. This is the second announcement of a big budget MMO going free-to-play in as many months (see Lord of the Rings Online), and there are many similarities between the two games' plans. EQII Extended has four subscription options to LOTRO's three, offering a yearly subscription plan in addition to monthly, single-time upgrade, and free subscriptions. Both games limit access to bag slots, gold, high-level items, in-game chat and other features based on subscription level, and will offer an in-game store where players can buy a wide variety of items as well as new races, classes and expansions.
So what's the difference? Whereas LOTRO's changes will be brought to the current game servers, EverQuest II Extended is a separate product that will be run in unison with the live version of EverQuest II. The introduction of EQII Extended is intended to make the game more easily accessible to new and casual players, removing the mandatory subscription that stops many people from playing MMOs and allowing players to access more content than the typical trial would.
EverQuest II Extended will enter beta on August 17th, and will bring with it a host of UI improvements. For more information about new service plans, take a look at the EQII Extended FAQ.
