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What's the longest running profitable MMO?

what is it? i mean in the sense that it has a strong showing on the books every quarter, not some "oh we're spending 3600/mo in upkeep and we're making 4100/mo" type deal. something that represents at least 15%(or more) of the parent company's earnings every quarter.

 

is it Lineage?

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  • crysentcrysent Member UncommonPosts: 841
    Originally posted by Rthuth434

    what is it? i mean in the sense that it has a strong showing on the books every quarter, not some "oh we're spending 3600/mo in upkeep and we're making 4100/mo" type deal. something that represents at least 15%(or more) of the parent company's earnings every quarter.

     

    is it Lineage?

    Impossible to say really...Could be Lineage, Could be Runescape...

  • AnnwynAnnwyn Member UncommonPosts: 2,854

    WoW?

    Otherwise maybe Runescape?

  • BaxslashBaxslash Member UncommonPosts: 237
    I would have to say Eve Online, they've gone through at least 1 ownership swaps, and, are still going strong.
  • 64faint64faint Member UncommonPosts: 1
    Well one of the oldest mmos is Everquest and it still has strong player base could be that, but definitely WoW is still making money Blizzard did good there
  • paulythebpaulytheb Member UncommonPosts: 363

     UO is still running and still profitable.

    Even recently had an expansion I believe.

     

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  • Rthuth434Rthuth434 Member Posts: 346
    did RS ship before Lineage? it's gotta be one of those two. i don't know if UO meets the requirements. i know EQ is doing well but probably not old enough.
  • KenFisherKenFisher Member UncommonPosts: 5,035
    Originally posted by Rthuth434
    did RS ship before Lineage? it's gotta be one of those two. i don't know if UO meets the requirements. i know EQ is doing well but probably not old enough.

    Lineage older than EQ?  I'm surprised.  I always figured LIN as an eastern EQ clone.


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  • FromHellFromHell Member Posts: 1,311

    Meridian 59

    http://www.meridian59.com/

    then Ultima Online

    http://uo.com/

     

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  • aRtFuLThinGaRtFuLThinG Member UncommonPosts: 1,387
    Would be UO I think
  • Panther2103Panther2103 Member EpicPosts: 5,766
    Originally posted by FromHell

    Meridian 59

    http://www.meridian59.com/

    then Ultima Online

    http://uo.com/

     

    But I doubt meridian is actually profitable at this point, they are running purely open source through donations.

  • paulythebpaulytheb Member UncommonPosts: 363
    Originally posted by FromHell

    Meridian 59

    http://www.meridian59.com/

    then Ultima Online

    http://uo.com/

     

    Meridian 59 has had several lengthy shutdowns (longer than 6 months), but I guess that wasn't really specified in the OP's question.

    I would say that it disqualifies it from being "the longest running".

     

     

    ( Note to self-Don't say anything bad about Drizzt.)

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  • Rthuth434Rthuth434 Member Posts: 346
    Originally posted by XAPGames
    Originally posted by Rthuth434
    did RS ship before Lineage? it's gotta be one of those two. i don't know if UO meets the requirements. i know EQ is doing well but probably not old enough.

    Lineage older than EQ?  I'm surprised.  I always figured LIN as an eastern EQ clone.

    shipped in between UO and EQ. 

     

    FYI, unless UO makes 15% or more of EA's profits i don't think it really qualifies. ganted EA has like 100 IP's.

  • Rthuth434Rthuth434 Member Posts: 346
    Originally posted by paulytheb
    Originally posted by FromHell

    Meridian 59

    http://www.meridian59.com/

    then Ultima Online

    http://uo.com/

     

    Meridian 59 has had several lengthy shutdowns (longer than 6 months), but I guess that wasn't really specified in the OP's question.

    I would say that it disqualifies it from being "the longest running".

     

     

     

    M59 definitely doesn't count. been shut down several times, gone open source too.

  • AutemOxAutemOx Member Posts: 1,704
    UO I suppose but I think in the minds of many of us it is EQ1 that started the genre.

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  • IrondustIrondust Member Posts: 29

    It is Lineage, started in 1998 and still has millions of players in Korea

  • k11keeperk11keeper Member UncommonPosts: 1,048
    Originally posted by XAPGames
    Originally posted by Rthuth434
    did RS ship before Lineage? it's gotta be one of those two. i don't know if UO meets the requirements. i know EQ is doing well but probably not old enough.

    Lineage older than EQ?  I'm surprised.  I always figured LIN as an eastern EQ clone.

    Lineage came out in 98 EQ came out in 99.

    Edit. those are US release dates.

  • PivotelitePivotelite Member UncommonPosts: 2,145

    First is Lineage second is Runescape.

     

    Both still make a ton of money.

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  • ResiaResia Member Posts: 119
    Last i heard EA still said UO is profitable, that was launched in 1997 correct?

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  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,372
    Definitely Lineage 1.

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  • DraucantDraucant Member UncommonPosts: 34
    FFXI should be close to be one of them
  • redcappredcapp Member Posts: 722
    uo
  • aRtFuLThinGaRtFuLThinG Member UncommonPosts: 1,387
    Originally posted by Irondust

    It is Lineage, started in 1998 and still has millions of players in Korea

     The problem with those of you who said it is Lineage is, Lineage is NO LONGER running (closed 2011), regardless of how much profits it made.

     

    If it is no longer running, it cannot, at this stage, be claimed to be the "longest running profitable MMO" - since UO has already outlived it in length (because it is still going) and strong sign that WoW will probably also do that.

     

    So at the moment, it is UO - until WoW stacked on enough years to oust UO and everyone else too.

  • Rthuth434Rthuth434 Member Posts: 346
    Originally posted by aRtFuLThinG
    Originally posted by Irondust

    It is Lineage, started in 1998 and still has millions of players in Korea

     The problem with those of you who said it is Lineage is, Lineage is NO LONGER running (closed 2011), regardless of how much profits it made.

     

    If it is no longer running, it cannot, at this stage, be claimed to be the "longest running profitable MMO" - since UO has already outlived it in length (because it is still going) and strong sign that WoW will probably also do that.

     

    So at the moment, it is UO - until WoW stacked on enough years to oust UO and everyone else too.

    Lineage is still running in Korea.

     

     

  • L0C0ManL0C0Man Member UncommonPosts: 1,065
    Originally posted by aRtFuLThinG
    Originally posted by Irondust

    It is Lineage, started in 1998 and still has millions of players in Korea

     The problem with those of you who said it is Lineage is, Lineage is NO LONGER running (closed 2011), regardless of how much profits it made.

     

    If it is no longer running, it cannot, at this stage, be claimed to be the "longest running profitable MMO" - since UO has already outlived it in length (because it is still going) and strong sign that WoW will probably also do that.

     

    So at the moment, it is UO - until WoW stacked on enough years to oust UO and everyone else too.

    NCSoft closed the US servers since it wasn't profitable there, but it's still running on Korea, and actually if you check their Q4 report, it's reponsible for 24% of their sales for Q4 2012 (second only to GW2's 45%, and higher than AION, Lineage 2 and blade and soul combined), and the sales numbers are almost twice as much compared to both Q3 2012 and Q4 2011.... so it's not only still profitable after all this time, it's actually growing.

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  • strykr619strykr619 Member UncommonPosts: 283
    Originally posted by L0C0Man
    Originally posted by aRtFuLThinG
    Originally posted by Irondust

    It is Lineage, started in 1998 and still has millions of players in Korea

     The problem with those of you who said it is Lineage is, Lineage is NO LONGER running (closed 2011), regardless of how much profits it made.

     

    If it is no longer running, it cannot, at this stage, be claimed to be the "longest running profitable MMO" - since UO has already outlived it in length (because it is still going) and strong sign that WoW will probably also do that.

     

    So at the moment, it is UO - until WoW stacked on enough years to oust UO and everyone else too.

    NCSoft closed the US servers since it wasn't profitable there, but it's still running on Korea, and actually if you check their Q4 report, it's reponsible for 24% of their sales for Q4 2012 (second only to GW2's 45%, and higher than AION, Lineage 2 and blade and soul combined), and the sales numbers are almost twice as much compared to both Q3 2012 and Q4 2011.... so it's not only still profitable after all this time, it's actually growing.

    Yet they shut down their NA servers? Sorry but Lineage can't be counted if they had to cut it back due to lack of players. If you want to see a game with little overhead still turning over a good profit look at Everquest. 100k players still 14 years later.   

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