Kingdom of Loathing , a deliriously wacky, web-based free-to-play indie MMO where heroes are illustrated by stick figures and mix cocktails and fight villainous monsters [assisted by familiars] like Ninja Pirate Zombie Robots, is "quite profitable", even with a current audience of nearly 50,000. This from a recent Reddit community interview with Josh "Mr Skullhead," Nite, co-writer of the game:

"There are around 45,000 players who log in each month," Nite wrote, when I asked. "About 200 create new accounts every day. There have been over 2 million accounts created since the game began [in 2003], so there are a lot of people who should totally be coming back." The game monetizes with donations and virtual goods sales, and on that score, he added, "It is quite profitable... I don't have the numbers for what percentage monetize, but it seems to be working." Good news for the passionate fans of KOL, and indie developers interested in creating other games with no-frills graphics and quirky wit.

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