Less than a decade ago, it looked liked the subscription-based model was the way for game developers to really cash-in, with behemoths like Blizzard Entertainment Inc’s World of Warcraft leading the charge. At its peak, WoW boasted over 12 million subscribers, and at roughly $15 a month, it is easy to see why the model was so attractive.

More than anything else, subscriptions are a steady, relatively predictable revenue stream, and if you charge for the base game as well, as is the case for WoW, then you also get a nice little signing bonus each time someone new comes on board.

Nowadays, the subscription-based game is a dying breed thanks to the new kid on the block, the free-to-play or freemium model. This is especially true of the pockmarked battleground that is the MMO genre, a desolate wasteland dominated by the throne of skulls WoW crafted from all of the self-proclaimed “Warcraft-killers.”

Over the last few years, several MMOs have found that they just can’t hold on to the player base needed to make the subscription model viable, and games like Everquest II, Lord of the Rings Online, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, have all done away with subscriptions in favor of some type of free-to-play model.

Even World of Warcraft has suffered from a dramatic decline in subscribers, losing nearly half of its (admittedly inflated) user base since November 2014. For players with enough in-game gold, it is not even possible to technical play WoW for free thanks to the introduction of WoW Tokens, in-game 30-day subscription items that can be bought for real money and sold to other plays for gold.

Eve Online has also hit a rough patch, dropping to its lowest peak concurrent user numbers in nearly 10 years.

If industry giants like World of Warcraft and games with rabidly loyal fans like Eve Online are struggling to keep their subscribers, what hope do new games have? Well, at least a little.

Despite its horrifically botched launch in 2010, Final Fantasy XIV has managed to carve out a surprisingly successful spot in the increasingly rare subscription market. Thanks to its relaunch under the subtitle A Realm Reborn and the more recent release of its first expansion, Heavensward, Final Fantasy XIV recently achieved over five million registered accounts. While this may not be the same thing as subscribers, it is still an impressive number in this day and age.

While we can talk about the “decline” of WoW after losing so many subscribers, the game still commands a player base of over 5 million actively paying users, and with the recently announced Legion expansion and the upcoming Warcraft film, it is unlikely that the game will need to drop its subscription fee any time soon.

And as long as WoW can do it, someone else with think they can too.

Screenshot by Eric David | SiliconANGLE