EverQuest II Extended offers free-to-play servers

In the face of World of Warcraft, I sometimes forget about EverQuest. My experience with the title is limited to watching a dude in my college dormitory who played obsessively shortly after the first release of the game. Now, more than a decade, the series still has the staying power to keep players in Norrath, apparently.

Still, it has to be tough for them to compete. In an effort to expand the audience, Sony has announced EverQuest II Extended, adding a free-to-play subscription model to entice players. Now, instead of the monthly service charges you’ve come to know and love, there will be alternate pricing for specific elements of the game managed by a browser-based interface.

I’m not kidding when I say how surprised I am that this game is still running. It is a testament to Sony’s ability as pioneers in the field of MMORPGs that they have managed to stay alive in front of a colossus like Blizzard’s money-printing machine.

Is this a tactic that could convince you to try out EverQuest, or is it already too late?