EverQuest will celebrate its 13th birthday in March by adopting the free-to-play model, Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed.
The move was revealed in a post on the game's official website by producer Thom Terrazas. Like its SOE stablemate, the PC and PS3MMOG DC Universe Online, EverQuest will offer a free option alongside monthly subscriptions.
The changes, which come into effect on March 16, the 13th anniversary of EverQuest's launch, mean SOE will operate a three-tier service: Free, Silver (for $5 a month) and Gold ($14.99 a month). This means Free members face caps on character slots, coins, active quests and more, with limited access to features including in-game messaging. The finer details are explained on the EverQuest website.
"We're excited to be expanding the EverQuest experience by making the game more accessible to every type of player so that you can choose to play the game in a way that suits you best," Terrazas writes. "The game will now be set up as flexible so that you can decide how much to pay, based on how much fun you're having.
"We are very excited about this new flexible system. Free-to-play is the best fit for EverQuest and we are looking forward to supporting the game and our dedicated fans for years to come.
"This is a great year for everyone associated with EverQuest and SOE. We think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what's coming in 2012."
The move comes as little surprise given the successful switch made by DC Universe Online last year. SOE boss John Smedley revealed that player numbers rose by 1000 per cent, and revenue by 700 per cent, in the days following the addition of a free-to-play option.

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