Say goodbye to EverQuest Next and hello to Landmark later this spring

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson Former News Editor

Published on March 11, 2016

Daybreak Games, which purchased Sony Online Entertainment, has cancelled EverQuest Next.

The company still plans to release Landmark, and it's slated for the spring.

According to company president Russell Shanks, development on EQ Next was discontinued after "much review and consideration."

"When we decided to create the next chapter in the EverQuest journey, we didn’t aim low. We set out to make something revolutionary," said Shanks on the company website. "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. 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."

He went on to sat the future of the EverQuest franchise as a whole is "important" to those at Daybreak as the franchise is "near and dear to our hearts."

"EverQuest and EverQuest 2 are going strong," he continued. "Rest assured that our passion to grow the world of EverQuest remains undiminished."

EverQuest Next was first revealed as an in-the-works MMO during SOE Fan Faire 2010. The game was officially unveiled during SOE Live in 2013.

During SOE Live 2013, Sony Online announced Landmark, a “construction and exploration game” similar to Minecraft which allow users to build worlds and assets. Content created in the game was to be transferable to EverQuest Next's voxel world.

Over on the Daybreak forums, EverQuest and EverQuest 2 producer and executive producer for Landmark Holly Longdale said to expect a spring release for Landmark.

The team working on the game is currently polishing a "huge update" for Landmark with many new additions and improvements.

Thanks, Massively.