EverQuest Next, the successor to Sony Online Entertainment's groundbreaking MMO EverQuest, has been cancelled. The bad news was revealed in a message posted by Daybreak Game Company President Russ Shanks, who said the studio had “set out to make something revolutionary,” but ultimately decided that it wasn't going to work.
“For those familiar with the internals of game development, you know that cancellations are a reality we must face from time to time. Inherent to the creative process are dreaming big, pushing hard and being brutally honest with where you land. In the case of EverQuest Next, we accomplished incredible feats that astonished industry insiders,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, as we put together the pieces, we found that it wasn’t fun. We know you have high standards when it comes to Norrath and we do too. In final review, we had to face the fact that EverQuest Next would not meet the expectations we—and all of you—have for the worlds of Norrath.”
“The future of the EverQuest franchise as a whole is important to us here at Daybreak. EverQuest in all its forms is near and dear to our hearts. EverQuest and EverQuest II are going strong. Rest assured that our passion to grow the world of EverQuest remains undiminished.”
In a separate message, Daybreak confirmed that work on EverQuest Next Landmark, the voxel-building MMO it announced back in 2013, is continuing, and that it will be out later this spring.
“As the community has grown and designs have flourished, we no longer view Landmark as just a building tool. We’ve been toiling away making Landmark into a wonder unto itself. While the look of our world was inspired by what was intended to be the voxel world of EverQuest Next, Landmark has evolved into its own game with its own unique identity and purpose,” EverQuest Executive Producer Holly Longdale wrote.
“The creativity of the Landmark community and the potential for telling stories in this digital world is beyond what we imagined. Our vision for Landmark is to provide a place where you can create ANYTHING, tell your own stories, and share your creativity with other players," she continued. "We are wrapping up a HUGE game update for Landmark with LOTS of new additions and improvements, some of which you’ve already seen in sneak preview posts from Emily 'Domino' Taylor on the forums. We are excited about what’s to come for Landmark and we can’t wait to see what you think.”
A “Landmark Launch” FAQ has a few more details, including that Landmark will not be free-to-play as was originally announced, but will instead carry a $10 price tag.
