In a time where every new MMO that’s not named “World of Warcraft” has struggled, it’s kind of heartening to see that Original Gangsta EQ is releasing an expansion pack, which includes the usual new levels, new race, and expansion of the level cap.

The most interesting line of the press release to me, though, is this one.

Content for Levels 1 to 75: Play through every level of the game without ever leaving the Serpent Spine Mountains.

At first glance, this would appear to be a mistake, and I couldn’t figure out why they took this tactic. I’ve mentioned before, one of the key parts of WoW’s success was it’s pattern breaking – the quests are rewarding enough to actively encourage you to explore the world and see new things. By contrast, EQ sounds almost proud that they’d be able to keep you in one small corner of the world. It seems dissonant. Especially when you consider that EQ has nearly 10 years of expansion pack content built up.

The fiancee pointed out where I was wrong, though. EQ is trying to sell the game to a whole bunch of people who have already gone through the earlier content, and is trying to lure them back. These people are probably like me, in that their lives would be better if they never had to see Cazic Thule again. Come to think about it, I feel kind of the same way about Dun Morogh in WoW.

But then there’s a subtler message here, too. One problem with EQ is that, while there is still a sizable community playing the game, virtually all of those players are maxed out and raiding with guilds. My attempts to play EQ in the last five years have been in empty newbie zones, on servers where I had a co-worker telling me they had hundreds of players raiding at the high levels on a given night in a tense guild political situation. And when you find yourself alone in a “massively multiplayer” game, you can’t escape the sledgehammer-like irony.

This press release basically implies something important: players who buy the expansion pack and start new characters (at least of the new race) will all be in the same place, so you won’t be lonely. To be honest, I’m considering re-upping.