Predictions of the d20/gaming industry part 2

[Mistwell]

Well, D&D is still 5 or 6 times as big as Everquest and that's the biggest MMORPG around. Other sectors of the video game business may well be bigger than D&D, but D&D is still a factor in the greater gaming scene.

Sigh, once again I feel the need to correct this misconception.

Best estimate of the current number of regular EQ players: 420,000 (that is the number of current paying accounts they have. They have sold much more than that, and probably have more occasional players off of a friends account, but let's stick to that number to be conservative).

Best estimate of the current number of D&D players: 1,500,000 (that number is the last recorded number of regular players, and cited by one of the Wizards guys here. D&D has more people than that who play at least once a year, but again we are being conservative and just counting the best estimate of regular players).

D&D does not have 5-6 times as many players as EQ, it has about 3.5 times as many.