It would be easy to presume that the future of EverQuest is largely about putting forth new expansions for the existing two titles instead of putting forth any work on a new game. However, that isn’t entirely the case according to a video interview from YouTuber MinnMax, who sat down with lead artist and logo designer Kevin Lydy and studio head and series executive producer Jenn Chan to talk a little bit about the future.
Rumors of an EverQuest 3 have been circulating in the MMORPG genre almost since the day EverQuest Next was canceled, but in the fall of 2023, EG7 told investors that it’s indeed hoping to develop a fresh title in the franchise.
So now, Chan confirms that active work on a new EverQuest game is indeed happening, but Darkpaw Games is extremely gun-shy about calling it EQ3 because EQ2 “was kind of a curse over EverQuest 1“; most players stayed with the original when the sequel was released instead of shifting over like the studio expected.
With that in mind, Daybreak is effectively calling this next title a reboot of the original, with modern graphics, gameplay, and style, while still feeling familiar enough that fans immediately recognize the world. With that in mind, Chan is quick to point out that this new title isn’t even past the concept phase and that things can change as development moves into pre-production and prototyping.
The video also talks about other things like keeping the original MMO evergreen, maintaining its annual expansion cadence, the origin of the IP, and even some bean drops like about 20K to 30K concurrent users for EQ1. It’s a worthwhile video to watch for fans of the game.
Meanwhile, the devs put out another livestream that focuses on The Outer Brood expansion arriving in December, with an overview of some of the new zones and discussion about design. That video is also waiting below.