'Falling Short of Finding the Fun', Development CeasesEQN EverQuest Next News - MMORPG.com

SBFord · March 2016

'Falling Short of Finding the Fun', Development CeasesEQN EverQuest Next News - MMORPG.com

Daybreak's Russell Shanks has published a letter on the EverQuest Next site that announces the sad news that the game has been cancelled. Citing big dreams and technical advancements, Shanks said that the development had fallen "short of finding the fun".

Read the full story here

Cevaras · March 2016

I guess fun = profit at Daybreak.

teddy_bare · March 2016

Well, I guess the writing has been on the wall for awhile, but it is still hugely disappointing, to me at least.

I, like many here I'm sure, have extremely fond memories of time spent in EQ back in the day (and, like not so many, the time I spent in EQ2). And I was truly hoping that EQnext would recapture some of that, or at least represent the world of Norrath in a way that I would enjoy experiencing. I know now that "feeling" that I had in the early days of EQ is impossible to recreate, and a waste of time trying b/c it was a mix of a lot of factors that made EQ what it was. But a big part of my enjoyment in EQ was the world itself and the (if you bothered looking for it) deep lore that everything was built on, and I was looking forward to experiencing at least that again.

I think that this may be "it" for me as far as MMO's go....it was the last one in development I had any real interest in playing, and unless they decide to try again with EQ I don't see myself investing the time into any other MMO. That sucks b/c MMO's were a large part of my life for a long time, but I find myself not willing to go back into old games and play catch up, and none of the MMO's in the pipeline pique my interest. A sad day to be sure...

AngryElf · March 2016

Cevaras said:

I guess fun = profit at Daybreak.

You'll never hear of a CEO who feels differently.

Sovrath · March 2016

Cevaras said:

I guess fun = profit at Daybreak.

fun not making a profit = closed game studio.

Ikeda · March 2016

Whatever.... we funded Landmark with the express purpose of using that technology to further EQN... this is BS but I'm not surprised. Daybreak is just another company that craps all over everything it touches.

Banegrivm · March 2016

Ikeda said:

Whatever.... we funded Landmark with the express purpose of using that technology to further EQN... this is BS but I'm not surprised. Daybreak is just another company that craps all over everything it touches.

Honestly as soon as I heard that an "investment firm" bought a gaming company, I figured nothing good was going to come of it. The same thing happened to Atari when Infogrames bought it. They ran the Atari name right into the ground. The best games are always put out by people that have an understanding of game design and business both. It's sad. Doubt they will put out anything decent anytime soon and maybe not even at all.

cronius77 · March 2016

the studio is dead in the water and has been for years basically. The last game they released that actually did okay for awhile was DCUO but even that was considered by most a flop and I'm sure they have a hefty royalty fee attached to it anyways due to it being DC Comics. The last big splash game they made was everquest 1 and Star Wars Galaxies. EQ2 I would even say wasnt all that population wise as they really only had two really busy servers a year after launch anyways and slowly died off until free to play revived the game some.

Ive played SOE games since everquest including the old not as known ones like everquest online adventures. The issue with every single SOE game they have created since everquest is staying power, no one stays long except a small fraction of the fan base-obviously not enough to pay the bills. Their games I would call not terrible just not good either including everquest 2 and SWG. How many different times did they revamp combat in both SWG.... Also every single SOE game in the end, ending up being about gear scores and raids and endless gear chasing treadmills that people eventually get sick of doing to death.

I honestly just feel very sorry for the people not in charge of making decisions who just want to work in the industry and support their families. Idiots like Smedley and the rest of his rag tag bunch of decision makers are the reasons why these people have to look for new work I'm pretty sure soon. Its funny you would think guys like them would learn there lesson with game failure after game failure.

tixylix · March 2016

I assumed it was cancelled already, SOE is dead, they've been on borrowed time for years because they just don't frigging listen and never had.

+ Destiny isn't an MMO and it isn't a good game.

Amathe · March 2016

"You have broken - what cannot be broken."

Merlin, Excalibur

Daybreak owns one of the largest and most popular IPs in the business, where a lot of work had already been done, and could not find a way to make it work.

That is flat out incompetence. Move on Daybreak. Go sell shower curtains.

Razeekster · March 2016

Totally called it, sad to say. Won't enjoy telling my friend who insisted this wasn't vaperware and couldn't see the writing on the wall. P.S. Can I have my money back for Landmark?

brihtwulf · March 2016

So much work, so much effort, so much time, and so much hope... now all for nothing. It amazes me when studios cancel a project that has been developed for so long.

Sovrath · March 2016

brihtwulf said:

So much work, so much effort, so much time, and so much hope... now all for nothing. It amazes me when studios cancel a project that has been developed for so long.

The amount of money that they piss away is amazing.

Sovrath · March 2016

Amathe said:

"You have broken - what cannot be broken."

Merlin, Excalibur

Daybreak owns one of the largest and most popular IPs in the business, where a lot of work had already been done, and could not find a way to make it work.

That is flat out incompetence. Move on Daybreak. Go sell shower curtains.

Actually, there is a different take on that.

It's not that they couldn't make "Everquest" work but that they couldn't make "Everquest Next" work.

Have you ever inherited a project where you were in charge but that scrapping the project and starting over wasn't an option? That you actually had to work with what you were given?

Well I have! And believe me, it's no picnic.

I was made the Director of a play where I thought the play was not good and where I had no control over the cast as that decision was made. The only thing I could do is take what I was given and make it happen. Of course, the reason it had to happen was because of the people who put their hard work into it and not "money". If it was money I would have said "no".

Daybreak essentially inherited all of these projects. They might have even been convinced to give the game a certain amount of development. They were then given what was done, how much money was spent how much money would be needed and what was the projected revenue and they said ok "no more".

bingbongbros · March 2016

Literally nobody is surprised by this

RemyVorender · March 2016

It was doomed the second they showed us the first glimpse.

saker · March 2016

Sad but entirely predicted... A great title has passed, we should mourn EverQuest we will not see it's likes again!

goozmania · March 2016

Everything they revealed about it looked pretty damned awful, so it doesn't surprise me they ultimately decided against it. The combat system, the "destructable world", the player made quests... It all sounded absolutely terrible.
It also infuriates me, because I have been waiting for a third EQ game since I lost interest in EQ2 in 2007... Now I'll likely be long dead before a fresh installment is released. You know what grinds my gears even further. Smedley scrapped the original game because it "wasn't different enough." I would bet anything the game they scrapped is actually what EQ fans wanted. And we could have been playing it years ago. Literally, F--- Smedley.

bcbully · March 2016

Is this a surprise to anyone?

That damn scam what was EQN:L should have for told all for all.

Mikeha · March 2016

Everquest Next was the only Western MMO that I was really looking foward to.

bcbully · March 2016

Ikeda said:

Whatever.... we funded Landmark with the express purpose of using that technology to further EQN... this is BS but I'm not surprised. Daybreak is just another company that craps all over everything it touches.

I got my money back

Dagon13 · March 2016

Finally, closure.

Margrave · March 2016

Sad.

Aethaeryn · March 2016

Maybe I will have another look at EQ2.

MightyUnclean · March 2016

Aethaeryn said:

Maybe I will have another look at EQ2.

Before it closes?

FlyByKnight · March 2016

So the "vocal minority" was right again eh?

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