Remember EverQuest Next, Daybreak Game Company’s next iteration of their popular MMO which began on the PC back in March 1999? It seems the former Sony Online Entertainment may be slowly shifting towards bringing the full game to players, building upon its Landmark creation tool according to senior producer Terry “Fairan” Michaels.

Speaking in a recent Producer’s Letter, Michaels said that, “As the team has wrapped up the various pieces related to the wipe and the bugs associated with it, we have been shifting our focus and resources over to work on the highest priority tasks and systems that will be used in EverQuest Next.

“While we do this, we’re working in areas with high amounts of creative risk. This means that while we know what we want to do, we know it will take an unknown amount of iteration, tweaking and sometimes drastic direction changes to get these in game and working the way they need to. Because of this, we simply cannot commit to any dates, because until we get much closer, even our best estimates are educated (but still fairly wild) guesses.”

There will be updates to Landmark, just fewer and far between for this year, and while the focus is now on EverQuest Next, fans shouldn’t expect it to release this year. Stay tuned for more information and updates on the game in the coming months.

We’ve seen action and adventure titles for Sony’s VR headset Project Morpheus so why not an MMO? Sony Online Entertainment development director David Georgeson, who is working on EverQuest Next for PC and PS4, is apparently very interested in the device.

Speaking to IGN, Georgeson stated that, “Morpheus is only for PlayStation 4. So if we’re making a PC product, obviously we’re not embracing Morpheus, unless Sony does some really cool stuff with it.

“But I mean, VR and AR are things that I personally am extremely excited about. I honestly think that’s the future of gaming. But we have a lot of miles to go before we sleep. So we need to build the game, and then we can talk about virtual reality and stuff beyond that.

“I will tell you this though: I’m hugely interested in Project Morpheus. So…we’ll see what happens.”

EverQuest Next currently has no release date. Stay tuned for more details.

EverQuest Next, the long awaited next MMORPG from the original grand daddy of the genre, has already been confirmed to be coming to the PS4- and now we know a little more about it.

Polygon reports that the PS4 version will come with a full range of social media integration that will make it easier for players to share content, working not only with Twitch, but Facebook and Twitter as well- trying to make it easier for players to connect (which, given that this is an MMORPG, is, I guess, an admirable end goal?).

“Reaching out to other people through social media…it’s a given, it’ll be in Next,” EverQuest franchise director of development Dave Georgeson said.

EverQuest Next will be releasing soon- we are learning more and more about it as it nears its eventual release. The title will be out on PC and the PlayStation 4. Stay tuned for more coverage.

In a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, the president of Sony Online Entertainment, John Smedley announced that, with the upcoming release of EverQuest Next, the game will include support for virtual reality gaming software Oculus Rift because, “it’s really damn cool and programmers love that stuff.” As of now EverQuest Next is still in development.

In response to Smedly’s statement on Reddit, another user asked about the potential for EverQuest Next compatibility with other virtual reality systems that may be in competition with Oculus Rift, such as Virtuix Omni and the STEM System from Sixense. Smedly did not confirm or deny whether either will be compatible with the game, but did say, “Hearing good things about 2 competitors… one of which actually comes from Sony.”

So while it has not been confirmed that EverQuest Next will include virtual reality support beyond Oculus Rift, it is clear that the prevalence of virtual reality gaming is beginning to spread. It’s an exciting new frontier filled with possibility.

Source: Reddit

Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley has confirmed that EverQuest Next will be releasing on the PlayStation 4. He revealed this information in a Reddit AMA thread.

“Yes. We will absolutely be bringing EQN to the Playstation 4!,” he confirmed. This should make the PlayStation 4 line up for 2014 even more brighter considering that Sony Online Entertainment have already announced PlanetSide 2 for the PS4.

He also confirmed that they are working to release the PS4 version of PlanetSide 2 in the first half of 2014. “First half of this year is what we’re shooting for. It’s taking time to do this right but coming along great,” he revealed.

Unfortunately, there were no details on a  concrete release date for both of the games.  In addition Smedley confirmed that they are working on a new IP. “SWG. I would do everything differently. SWG PLAYERS – OUR NEXT GAME (not announced yet) IS DEDICATED TO YOU. Once we launch it… you can come home now. Completely new IP. The data is on the interwebs.. someone just has to find it,” he confirmed.

Are you looking forward to EverQuest Next and PlanetSide 2 for the PlayStation 4? Let us know in the comments section below.

The game is the next instalment in the EverQuest series, its predecessors being EverQuest, EverQuest Online Adventures and EverQuest II. Although a successor instalment, EverQuest Next is not set to act as a prequel or sequel to any of the existing EverQuest games in the franchise. The intent is to offer players a parallel version of the world known as Norrath which will give players the chance to experience the game from a different point of view with locations, races, characters and their relationships having been changed from that stated in the official story.

The game is currently in development for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Their is no current official release date, it has instead been slated for a vague 2014 release window.

• 1. Development
• 2. Story
• 3. Gameplay
• 4. Classes and Races

Development

There is no official date for when development of EverQuest Next began, it was however first hinted at in 2009 by EverQuest creative director, Rich Waters in a chapter of the EverQuest 10th Anniversary Book. It wasn’t officially announced and unveiled until PAX East of 2013 when the games developer Dave Georgeson announced that the would be fully revealed at a Sony Live Entertainment Live Event (SLELE).

It was announced that EverQuest Next would be split into two seperate pieces, one would be the quest based massively multiplayer online role playing game called EverQuest Next. The second piece would be EverQuest Next Landmark, a world building tool which is expected to go into beta in March of 2014. Players wishing to play this Beta can currently submit their application for consideration. It has since been confirmed by John Smedley (a Sony programmer) that the best player worlds created in EverQuest Landmark would be included in the final product when it releases.

He has also said Ever Quest Next was completely redeveloped, “What we are building is something that we will be very proud to call EverQuest. It will be the largest sandbox style MMO ever designed… We are remaking Norrath unlike anything you’ve ever seen, but you’ll recognize it.”

Similar to Guild Wars 2 (another MMORPG of great popularity), EverQuest Next is set to maintain a free to play business model for as long as viable, this means that once the player has purchased the game they won’t need to pay a monthly or yearly subscription like those found in other MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. While this hasn’t been confirmed to be a permanent feature of the game, it is one that has been well recevied by the gaming community.

Story

While there are no official details regarding the story of EverQuest Next, the games creative director Jeff Butler has said that players should “Expect a retelling and re-imagining of the EverQuest story, drawing on nostalgia for the franchise and in homage to all the EverQuests that have preceded [EQN].”

Gameplay

The gameplay for EverQuest Next is in a thrid person perspective with the player doing battle against their enemies by using the different abilities and powers of the varied races from the world of Norrath. The development team have said that they intend to bring the gameplay of EverQuest Next back to that of the original EverQuest but while maintaining the more modern advancements that come from the modern day MMORPG genre of games. Combat is split between melee combat and ranged combat through the use of spells and changes depending on the players stats, race and equipment.

Classes and Races

Kerran – The Kerran were once an aggressive people, but their culture changed dramatically when the Elves of Norrath arrived at their homeland of Shadaline. The Elves then civilized the Kerran and forged a strong alliance with the strongest of the clans. Many clans however refused to be “civilized”.

Dark Elves – The Dark Elves are a warrior caste of note from deep within the Elven society.

Ogre – No details have come to light regarding the Ogres of Narroth, apart from the fact that according to concept art they now look different from the old Ogre design.This is likely due to the parallel concept mentioned in this Wikis intro.

Other classes/races include:

• Dwarves
• Humans
• Elf

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Joystiq has confirmed three more classes for Sony Online Entertainment’s upcoming Everquest Next, the upcoming MMORPG by them that they promise will be the ‘next evolution for the genre.’

The new classes include Necromancer, Beast Lord, and Cleric, and they join the already announced classes of Wizard, Tempest, Warrior, Rogue, and Blademaster. The Cleric uses one- or two-handed hammers to offensively and defensively, and also gets to use fire. Necromancers get to use a tome, or dagger and spells, to command a Monstrosity companion that can grow in power alongside the main character. The Beast Lord uses pets, flails and shields, and spears to inflict massive damage on enemies both nearby and ranged.

If your favorite class has not yet been revealed, don’t worry too much about it, as there are still thirty two (!!!) classes left to reveal, what with the game having a staggering forty classes available to players.

Sony announced the next Everquest game a few months ago, and while the jury is still out on whether or not it is the next step in the evolution of MMORPGs as it was hyped, but it sure does look pretty, especially in this newest trailer.

Sure, it lacks the charm and the character that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, but it does look pleasing to the eye (although what it has in artstyle it sure seems to lack in technical prowess). Also, it is to be remembered that unlike A Realm Reborn, which is a completed and released game, Everquest Next is still pretty early in its development.

Everquest Next will be the next evolution in the long running, pioneering MMORPG franchise. Developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment, it will be coming to PC sometime next year. No PS4 version has been announced unlike fellow SOE developed Planetside 2.

“As a company, our goal is to focus on our core expertise of MMO games and as part of these efforts, we had to make the difficult decision to eliminate positions to help reduce costs, streamline our employee base and strategically align resources towards our current portfolio of games and upcoming slate of MMOs, including EverQuest Next Landmark and EverQuest Next.”

Polygon obtained an official email from CEO John Smedley, which stated that “I know most of the people we’re laying off today. Some of them have been with us here since the beginning. None of them deserved this. Our goal as a company needs to be to make incredible games and grow again so we can bring our friends back.” He also revealed that these cuts should have happened last year, but that SOE was working to prevent a worst-case scenario.

Hopefully the success of its upcoming projects will allow SOE to bring its employees back soon.

EverQuest Next, the next installment in the revolutionary MMORPG series, will be mostly focused on a PC release, with a possible PlayStation 4 version at some point in the future, according to Sony producer, David Georgeson.

“Now, you’re dumb not to explore other options with a business of this type, but we’re very serious about developing for the PC. You know the company knows a lot about the PlayStation 4 – look at DC Universe Online and Planetside 2 – so we have a lot of people becoming extraordinarily knowledgeable with that box. We’re not adverse to the idea, but we’re not going down that path yet.”

Georgeson also spoke to how their servers will work relative to those of other MMORPGs, and how the team plans to deal with the quieter realms that will result from the more individually oriented game play.

“Every world will be unique from the others in that players will be advancing the story in different ways at different times. And so, obviously, different worlds will be different to other ones. A lot of players will stick with their current community and friends, hang out that way and make it work. Some will want to flip from server to server, and we intend to make that a lot easier than it has been in the past – although we’re not committed to details on that yet.

We want to make it really easy for players to move back and forth between the worlds so they can experiment and see different things. For instance, if you roll up a new world, it might start all the way back at the beginning of the storyline. One other thing to mention is that Rallying Calls are very forgiving with regards to population. If half your server population is not interested in Rallying Calls, you’ll still move apace.”

EQN Senior producer, Terry Michaels spoke a bt about EverQuest Next Landmark, the Minecraft-esque crafting and exploration sister game of EverQuest Next.

“The idea is that while everything can be destructible, it doesn’t mean we’re going to let everything be destructible. We’re going to use permission systems and tools to make sure the game is enjoyable for everyone who’s playing it. We probably wouldn’t let someone come in and destroy the newbie area, that’s a more protected area. But maybe NPCs, for instance, can destroy part of that area, because it’s part of the content going on in there.

Without a doubt there are lots of griefing opportunities we haven’t seen in this kind of game before. There’s visual griefing in Landmark, where the idea of creativity is so important. People could actually try to impede other people’s ability to see your stuff. We have to think about these things and tackle these things that are unique to our game. We did it to EverQuest and the things people could do there, and we’ll do it again in EverQuest Next and make sure players have an enjoyable experience.”

By all accounts it sounds as though EverQuest next will be a highly enjoyable, and totally unique MMO experience.

Via: Eurogamer