Sony Online Entertainment unveiled Everquest Next over the weekend - the long awaited next chapter series where the original made the genre somewhat mainstream 14 years ago.
"With EverQuest Next, we're going back to our roots -- a space we defined with the EverQuest legacy -- and ushering in a new era of MMOs: The Emergent Era," said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. "Today, many MMOs fail because players consume content faster than developers can create it. With EverQuest Next, we're creating a living world that players are part of and empowering them to produce new content alongside the development team. What does the future hold for EverQuest Next and Sony Online Entertainment? It's in the players' hands, and we like it that way."
The game has been in development since 2009, but two years ago SOE decided to rethink development and go in a brand new direction.
Sony Online Entertainment put focus on a few notable characteristics or features in the press release. Multi-classing - there will be no levels but more than 40 classes or professions to mix and match from. Destructible environments. Permanent Changes - build a wall or tear it down, your actions matter and change the world. Emergent AI. And finally "A Life of Consequence" the monicker given to the fact that each player will enjoy their own story in this ever changing sandbox world.
"EverQuest Next is not the continuation of a familiar story. It represents the fundamental reimagining of the characters, lore and environments of the EverQuest universe," said Dave Georgeson, Director of Development for the EverQuest Franchise, Sony Online Entertainment. "Make no mistake; while great care has been taken to respect the extraordinary influence that EverQuest has had in this industry and with our player community over the years, this is a boldly different game unlike anything that has come before."
This winter Sony Online Entertainment will release Everquest Next Landmark, which seems to be something of a world editor that will also allow for some gameplay. At its core it's the same tool that is used to create Everquest Next by the developers. The idea is that fans will be able to create buildings and potentially other types of content that may eventually make it onto Everquest Next proper.
No date has been set for the release of Everquest Next as of now, which in all likelihood means it's set for next year.
