“EverQuest Next,” which was announced three years ago but had been in development for several years before that, has been nixed by its developer, Daybreak Games Company.
“Next” was to be the third game in one of the oldest massively multiplayer online video game franchises, “EverQuest,” but with production halted it will never be publicly released.
Daybreak, formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, was sold by Sony to investment firm Columbus Nova, after which a significant number of staffers were laid off.
“Inherent to the creative process are dreaming big, pushing hard and being brutally honest with where you land,” Daybreak president Russell Shanks said in his announcement of the cancellation Friday. “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.”
The original “EverQuest” game was released in 1999 by Sony Online Entertainment and Verant Interactive, another Sony subsidiary. “EverQuest II” hit in 2004, and both of those games are still supported and active.