Feldon 
The Amsterdam-based Splitpaw server will come down this afternoon in order to merge with the Russian servers Barren Sky (PvE) and Harla Dar (PvP).
Time Zone Conversions
- PDT: March 30 @ 2:00pm – March 31 @ 2:00am
- BST: March 30 @ 22:00 – March 31 @ 12:00
- CEDT: March 30 @ 23:00 – March 31 @ 13:00
- MSK: March 31 @ 0:00 – March 31 @ 12:00
Here’s the official announcement from the EQ2 Forums:
The Splitpaw server will come down for maintenance beginning at 2:00 PM PT (
9:00 PM GMT) for an update to merge servers as mentioned here. Downtime is anticipated to be at least 12 hours to perform this operation.
Commentary
After today, all Russian translations of EverQuest II become inaccessible and the game can only be played in English. Characters and Guilds will need to be renamed. In-game chat can still be performed in Russian once players make the necessary changes to their Game Settings. Also, Subscriptions and Expansions must now be purchased at full US Dollar prices. Due to cost-of-living adjustments and exchange rates, US goods and services are typically sold in Russia at for 60-70% less. These changes have been elucidated in the Russian EQ2 FAQ (Росси́я) prepared by Akella Online, EQ2’s publisher in Russia for many years.
The merger of Russian servers with Splitpaw was announced on 29 February of this year and the discussion thread on the Russian EQ2 forums (Росси́я) has reached 61 pages. If Google Translate is not your cup of tea, the EU Server Consolidation FAQ is in English although it lacks much of the humor and pointed discussion being made on the Akella forums.
Anyway, looking at cost-of-living and exchange rates, here’s how the numbers break out:
EverQuest II Subscription in Russia today:
- 30 days – 399 ruble ($5.86)
- 90 days – 1199 ruble ($17.61)
- 180 days – 2199 ruble ($32.30)
EverQuest II Subscription in Russia tomorrow:
- 30 days – 1109 ruble (+178%)
- 90 days – 2883 ruble (+140%)
- 180 days – 4811 ruble (+119%) [Editor’s Note: Corrected this value]
With cost-of-living adjustment and exchange rate, a monthly subscription to EQ2 in Russia will now cost the equivalent of $39 per month. Presumably, many Russian players have stocked up on subscriptions for several years in advance.
Also the Terrors of Thalumbra expansion today in Russia costs:
- Standard Edition – 1199 rubles ($17.63)
- Collector’s Edition – 2499 rubles ($36.75)
- Premium Edition – 3999 rubles ($58.81)
Tomorrow the Terrors of Thalumbra expansion in Russia will cost:
- Standard Edition – 2589 rubles (+116% increase)
- Collector’s Edition – 6659 rubles (+166% increase)
- Premium Edition – 10359 rubles (+159% increase)
With the cost of living adjustment, the Premium edition now costs the Russian equivalent of $362.57.
The issue of pricing and localization is why US gaming companies choose local publishers.
…what.
Pardon my possible ignorance, but how are you arriving at those “equivalent” prices?
The average household income in the United States is $52,000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States
The average yearly salary in Russia is $6,000. If you figure both people work, then that’s $12,000 per year for the household.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russians-average-monthly-salary-falls-to-500-as-food-prices-skyrocket/516947.html
Purchasing an EQ2 subscription for 1 year plus the expansion is $158.
OK, I get what you were trying to say now. Thanks!
why would anyone buy the 180day sub 2x 90d is much cheaper (3x 90day even better)
EverQuest II Subscription in Russia tomorrow:
30 days – 1109 ruble (+178%)
90 days – 2883 ruble (+140%)
180 days – 8800 ruble (+300%) <—— that can't be right?
maybe that 8800 should be 5800 – look more in line
hmm 5800 still too high .. 5600? going once… going twice…
The Akella FAQ says 8800. Might be a typo.
http://forums.akella-online.ru/showthread.php?t=43352
I guess the typo stems from there being no half year subscription but only 1m, 3m and 1 year with Daybreak, but Akella maybe hat 1m, 3m, 6m before, in which case a year previously cost 2x 2199 rubles = 4398 rubles and now costs 8800 rubles, which would be an increase by ~100%, making it a) the best offer and b) being in line with what europeans and US are paying today for a years worth of subscription. On another note please double check your time conversions for this and your new post feldon (BST and CEST (= Central European Summer Time there is no CEDT) have had their daylight savings change last weekend and your calculations make no sense), thanks.
Thanks for getting to the bottom of this. There was a false equivalency here. Akella was comparing a 6 month subscription (which costs $71.94 from Daybreak) with a 1 year subscription (which costs $118 from Daybreak).
I’ve corrected the entry.
Excited about having more people to play with.
Interesting considering the very top parent company of DBG is a Russian company, isn’t it?
I didn’t even think about that.
I was wondering about that too. Why wouldn’t they add more languages to every server? o.0 make it more accessible to a wider audience while providing more fellow players. Seems like a positive change and a business savvy decision… wait.. I think I just answer that question with “the higher ups of DBG, formerly SOE…)
The same ones that shut down all tries toward cross server playing possibilities in a recent announcement…
Even if they stopped translating (which costs a bloody fortune) and left that to players. And yes, I approached them with this idea and offered to do all the heavy lifting of setting up the website to maintain and support it.
Good of ya to try though. Thank you Feldon.