Why is Runescape successful? Beause it costs $5 a month!

"Until recently, most MMOGs were only offering consumers the subscription business model, which limited their payment options. Younger consumers, without access to a credit card or unable to get their parents to agree to a $15 a month payment ("That's as much as cable!"), have been underrepresented in the MMOG space. The average age of an MMOG player was about 25 years old. As discussed in detail in our report, more affordable games like the digitally distributed Runescape by Jagex are finally bringing younger players to the genre. Runsecape has 850,000 subscribers at $5 a month and it was never released at retail. This group of consumers have proven to be a lucrative force in the rest of the interactive entertainment market and they could be the true key for expansion of MMOGs. With the introduction of other business models, such as the Korean imported free-to-play/digital item sales model, the market could broaden even more."
http://www.gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=10288