UO had like 100,000 at peak in 1998 or so
EQ 200,000 by the year 2000
still niche by any definition of the word but i think people don't give it it's due for the phenomenon it was at the time, Quake 3 sold 319,000 units in 2001 in North America, Everquest having 225,000 active subscribers by early 2000 is insanely successful
from the march 2001 Warrens patch notes
Quote:
|
Two years ago this Friday, EverQuest was launched, forever changing the course of online gaming. Today EverQuest boasts nearly 360,000 active subscribers, and a two-year retention rate of 65%. Peak usage tops 89,000 simultaneous users with average peak usage at roughly 87,000.
|