EverQuest is bigger than EverQuest 2
They don't make them like they used to.
EverQuest is bigger than EverQuest 2, it turns out.
EverQuest, the ground-breaking fantasy MMO that launched over 20 years ago in March 1999, currently has more subscribers, more monthly active players and makes more money than EverQuest 2, which came out 16 years ago in 2004.
The factoid comes from a company called Enad Global 7 (EG7), which recently bought EverQuest owner Daybreak in a $300m deal.
Daybreak historically does not disclose details for its games, but in announcing the deal, EG7 revealed specifics for the various titles under Daybreak's belt, the EverQuests included.
As noted by MassivelyOP, during the year to 30th September 2020, EverQuest made $11.5m in revenue, whereas EverQuest 2 made $6.5m. EverQuest has 66,000 subscribers and 82,000 monthly active players, whereas EverQuest 2 has 21,000 subscribers and 29,000 monthly active players.
It's clear classic EverQuest is significantly more popular than its sequel and makes not far off double the amount of money. An incredible 26 full expansions have been released for EverQuest. A 27th, EverQuest: Claws of Veeshan, is due out this month.
So, EverQuest continues to tick along nicely, its glory days well behind it but big enough to justify continued work. Is Daybreak working on an EverQuest 3? There's nothing in EG7's report that suggests it currently is. There was going to be an EverQuest 3, or EverQuest Next as it was called, but it was canned in 2016.
EverQuest is far from Daybreak's biggest game. According to EG7's report, Daybreak's top title is DC Universe Online, which made $26.7m in the year to 30th September. The superhero MMORPG has an impressive 419,000 monthly active players, and 40,000 subscribers.
If you're wondering, by revenue EverQuest is in at two, Lord of the Rings Online is third, PlanetSide 2 is fourth, Dungeons & Dragons Online is fifth, and EverQuest 2 brings up the rear in sixth place.
What's interesting is EG7 suggests it's committed to both Lord of the Rings Online and DC Universe Online, both of which are listed as getting upgrades. Lord of the Rings Online is set for "visual and technical updates" for "PC and next-gen consoles" during 2022. This is "to capitalise on Amazon's highly publicised large investment (~$500mm) in LOTR TV series". That sounds a lot like Lord of the Rings Online is coming to console.
And DC Universe Online, which is already out on consoles, is getting an upgrade to capitalise on the next-gen consoles. That's due during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Meanwhile, Daybreak is working on a new, unannounced project.