[Ulrike]

I've often wondered about that as well, about just how much it costs to run a MMORPG, and just how much is profit for companies like Outspark and Nexon. Back when Everquest was all the rage (which was what? 10 odd years ago? xD), I predicted to my friends that eventually, monthly subscriptions for MMOs would be a thing of the past. Of course back then they all laughed at me, quoting high figures that were definitely not backed up with any source whatsoever, but whatever, we were all middle schoolers.

Fast forward to 2008, and while WoW is still pretty healthy games like Guild Wars and certainly all the "cash shop" style games have kind of made my prediction come true. Maybe if one were to sift through economy journals one would find actual figures on how much these companies require and how much revenue they really generate.