Things are going a heck of a lot better for trailblazing PC MMO ‘Everquest II’ after its publisher gave up on that silly idea of trying to get people to pay for a game that was released in 2004. Since December, when the game went fully free-to-play, its audience has not only grown, but people are actually spending more money on the game.

Unique players are reportedly up 150 percent — which to be cynical, could well mean an increase from 40 to 60 players — and in-game item sales have doubled. The free-to-start, pay-to-have-fun model is all the rage right now, and the fact that it’s injected a little life into the zombie corpse of ‘EverQuest II’ will only fuel that fire.

For those who miss paying for stuff they can get for free, the game still offers $5.99 and $14.99 subscription models that presumably give you enough virtual stuff to seem superior to the peasants. Check out your options here.

More From KLAQ El Paso