Is the original EverQuest doing better than it ever has? Probably not; the game has been running for 20 years now. But it has been on an upward swing since 2015, and in a recent interview Daybreak executive producer Holly Longdale attributes that success to the game’s progression servers. Not without cause, either; Longdale explains how the first two progression servers outright crashed the game’s server clusters both times they launched, leading the team to make plans not just for existing progression servers but for both hardcore and casual variants of same.

“We’re reacquisition focused. […] I’m not allowed tell you exactly how many people have come through the game over the years, but it’s enough to sustain us. If we tried to broaden our horizons and invite new people in, I don’t think we’d have enough servers to be able to handle the influx of new players. But we’re more focused on trying to lure lapsed players back.”

Longdale also confirms that the title’s developers are working on future expansions and continuing the upward climb of the game’s overall power level, something she attributes as a crucial element of the game’s continued success. She also puts forth that it’s the need for constant socialization that keeps people playing, since anything significant in the game requires other players to accomplish. That and progression servers, anyhow.