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A Look At Legacy MMORPGs And How They Manage To Stay Relevant Decades After Their Release

Some flames never die

Emilien Lecoffre Posted:
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Editorials 0

Names like Final Fantasy XI, Ultima Online, EverQuest, and Dark Age of Camelot evoke the early days of MMORPGs. Recognized as the first of their kind, they have stood the test of time thanks to the small, but dedicated player bases they have been able to maintain for decades. With Final Fantasy XI soon to turn 23, a recent survey sent by Square Enix outlines how these aging worlds remain relevant in today's online gaming atmosphere.

Final Fantasy XI survey collected answers from 13878 people from all over the world, giving us a unique glimpse into who plays this legacy MMORPG. As you can imagine, the results paint the picture of a ‘mature’ population. We see that Japanese players are mostly aged 40-50 and global players are in age range of 30-40s. This demographic snapshot captures the phenomenon of long-standing MMORPG communities aging alongside their beloved online worlds.

Why play Legacy MMORPGs?

Take the original Guild Wars, a title from 2005 (even though it’s technically a CORPG) that still boasts a small but loyal community in 2025. Despite dated graphics and lack of new content, it is a game that still captures this sense of adventure in such a perfect - and, in my opinion, unmatched - way. 

Guild Wars 1

I think this feeling rings true with legacy MMORPG communities as players keep playing or returning over time not only because of those past formative memories but also for aspects such as the sense of achievement or the immersive universe of these games. I'd say nostalgia is important to some extent, but it's far from being the only reason these Legacy MMORPGs are called such. Ultimately, we wouldn't stick with these if they didn't give us something we could find anywhere else, right?

A few examples of Legacy MMORPGs

WoW Classic is an example of one way to handle legacy content. Since its launch in 2019, Blizzard has expanded this initiative with different versions: Cataclysm Classic, Season of Discovery, and the Anniversary realms. Each of these variants gives players the chance to experience previous timelines of the modern MMORPG. Also, some versions come with alterations to the original experience, like the Hardcore mode. This strategy has worked effectively, creating communities with various preferences regarding the different eras of the game’s evolution.

EverQuest

EverQuest has developed another concept with time-locked progression servers. These special servers start with only a subset of the MMORPG's content and then follow a predetermined schedule to unlock expansions gradually. This system has become a cornerstone of EverQuest's longevity strategy, regularly (re)attracting veterans and some curious newcomers eager to discover this legendary MMORPG.

Old School RuneScape is an impressive example of preservation and the development of a legacy MMORPG. This 2007 version of RuneScape, which was launched in 2013 as a response to player dissatisfaction with changes to the main game, has since evolved into a distinct MMORPG. Old School RuneScape is different from the other legacy MMORPGs in that it regularly gets content updates and new features. All features are polled with the player base first, “any question containing a Yes option requires a supermajority of 70% of the total votes to pass”. This democratic approach to game development has resulted in a unique hybrid combining the classic look and feel of MMORPG from yesteryear with continual new content and quality-of-life improvements, as per the community's wishes.

Legacy MMORPGs found success through various methods to maintain their communities. Some have embraced nostalgia directly, as evidenced by the rise of "classic" servers. The FFXI survey pointed out that many overseas players (probably inspired by the Blizzard initiative) find the idea of “classic” FFXI interesting, specifically from the time when the level cap was 75, and grouping was mandatory to advance. Paradoxically, many players also prefer to play alone, with FFXI reporting that more than 50% percent of the respondents play alone. All of which brings us back to the Feedback vs. Expectations debate, doesn't it?

Final Fantasy XI in 2025

As we see, there are several factors that contribute to the persistence of these aging MMORPGs. Final Fantasy XI, for example, has been aimed at modernization and quality-of-life improvements. In the year 2024, gamepad support got expanded, new Master Trial and level 9 Besieged content were added, demonstrating amazing commitment by Square Enix to keep their MMORPG alive despite technically not being in development anymore

FFXI

The developers of Final Fantasy XI have shared what players can expect in 2025. There will be further graphics enhancements, a faster late-game gear progression, and simplification of selected systems to help both new and returning players. These changes strike the delicate balance between classic features preservation and modern conveniences' addition that these legacy MMORPGs strive to maintain.

No one-size-fits-all solution

Every legacy MMORPG has taken its very own path to longevity. While World of Warcraft Classic capitalizes on nostalgia thanks to multiple classic versions, EverQuest maintains interest thanks to time-locked servers. Final Fantasy XI emphasizes modernization and quality of life improvements, Guild Wars 1 heralds its unique systems and the absence of subscription fees, and Old School RuneScape thrives on community-driven evolution. This diversity of approaches demonstrates that there is no single formula for success in the legacy  MMORPGs space.

The continual presence (and sometimes development) of legacy MMORPGs isn’t just keeping old universes alive. This process helps nurture unique experiences that resonate across different generations. As the various games show, legacy MMORPGs don’t need to follow a similar formula but rather recognize and explore what makes them unique while responding, to a certain extent, to contemporary expectations. 


Nephistos

Emilien Lecoffre

Emilien 'Nephistos' has been immersed in MMOs since his early teens on Dofus. Over the past years, he also has been sharing his insights on JeuxOnline, a major French-language MMO sites. While he keeps a keen eye on all market offerings, his true passion lies in RvR and mass PvP.