[SirSmithington]

I think the subscription option isn't entirely dead, but it does appear that some sort of micro transactions are going into every game. In many ways it is not surprising as people like to have an advantage both in games and in life and spending money is a principal way of attaining such advantages. It can also be nice, depending on how it is designed, if you only spend money on what you deem valuable--whatever that may be--as opposed to simply paying for everything via a subscription.

Regarding EQnext/EQ classic comparisons, there are clearly many people that would pay for and play a more classic style MMO, but I can see why developers would rather pursue the greater population that wants something less time intensive, in order to get more revenue. A niche game has less revenue potential and development costs for MMOs can be huge.