Enad Global 7 acquired the MMORPG company Daybreak in 2020. Now they have shared details on finances and player numbers in a presentation. This included not only the two MMORPGs mentioned in the title but also EverQuest, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Planetside 2.
How many players do the individual MMORPGs have? A graphic showed the MAUs – monthly active users. Here, every person who logged in at least once in the respective game counts:
- DC Universe Online has a bit over 300,000 different players.
- The Lord of the Rings Online has about 100,000 players.
- EverQuest 1 has just under 100,000 players.
- Dungeons & Dragons Online recently had a small peak with around 60,000 players.
- EverQuest 2 has approximately 25,000 players.
- Planetside 2 has around 150,000 players.
The numbers cannot be determined exactly because the corresponding graph contains many lines and was also only visible in a small format in the presentation. We have included a screenshot for you:
For comparison: Recently, Albion Online revealed that they have about 300,000 different players per day. Estimates based on Steam data also suggest that Lost Ark has around 300,000 and New World about 120,000 daily active players.
However, it should be noted that many more players will certainly log in over the course of a month.
Anyone who wants to dive deeper into the topic of numbers can listen to the podcast by MMO editors Alexander Leitsch and Mark Sellner. They have dealt with it:
Numbers remain stable compared to before the pandemic, only DC Universe Online is struggling
What stands out? Already in December 2020, Daybreak presented its monthly active players. At that time, DC Universe Online was the largest game, but with 419,000 MAUs. Recently, this MMORPG has seen a significant drop in numbers as the only one.
The presentation stated that DC Universe is the most susceptible game to fluctuations because it relies heavily on casuals. There are supposed to be regularly new players coming, but many also leave again.
Other titles like EverQuest or LOTRO, however, have a very stable player base with people who have remained loyal for decades and return for larger updates. This is evident from the LOTRO graph when the 15th anniversary was celebrated in April 2022. There was a significant spike upwards.
Overall, the numbers are very stable, especially compared to 2019, i.e. before the pandemic. Moreover, every MMO is currently “highly profitable”.
For next year, the developers expect a slight increase for EverQuest because the MMORPG will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
New EverQuest is set to release in 2028
What else was revealed? For 2028, Daybreak is planning the release of a new MMORPG in the EverQuest universe. The company is allocating a budget of at least 30 million dollars for this. The game is intended to target the hardcore audience and will probably not be as innovative as planned with EverQuest Next.
In addition, a new title in the H1Z1 universe and one for Mechwarrior are planned. Releases for 2026 and 2027 are being eyed. The presentation also included a lot of information on finances, the general development of the gaming market, and monetization.
What do you think about the player numbers? Which MMORPG surprised you, both positively and negatively?
