EverQuest is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally created by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows. It was released in North America by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 and in Europe by Ubi Soft in April 2000. A version for Mac OS X was released in June 2003 and remained active until November 2013. In June 2000, Verant Interactive was merged with Sony Online Entertainment, which then handled all development and publishing of the game. In February 2015, Sony Computer Entertainment, the parent company of Sony Online Entertainment, sold the studio to Columbus Nova. The company was later renamed Daybreak Game Company and continues to develop and publish EverQuest.

EverQuest was the first commercially successful MMORPG to use a 3D game engine. Its success was greater than expected and had a major impact on later games in the same genre. It holds an important place in the history of online multiplayer games.

After its release, the game became more popular than expected and remained widely played for many years. It is now considered one of the greatest video games ever made. It has won many awards, including the 1999 GameSpot Game of the Year and a 2007 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. Even though many similar games have been released and discontinued over time, EverQuest remains a successful business. New expansions continue to be released regularly, more than twenty-five years after its first launch. The game has also inspired other media, such as books and additional video games, including a sequel called EverQuest II, which was released in 2004.

Gameplay

EverQuest includes many elements inspired by text-based MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) games, especially DikuMUDs, which were based on traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. In EverQuest, players create a character (also called an avatar, or sometimes a "char" or "toon") by choosing one of twelve races: humans, high-elves, wood-elves, half-elves, dark-elves, erudites, barbarians, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, ogres, and trolls. Later expansions added new races, such as lizard-people (Iksar), cat-people (Vah Shir), frog-people (Froglok), and dragon-people (Drakkin). During character creation, players also choose a class (such as wizard, ranger, or cleric), a patron deity, and a starting city. Players can customize their character’s appearance, including hair, hair color, face style, facial hair, eye color, and other features.

Players explore the medieval fantasy world of Norrath, fighting monsters and enemies to earn treasure and experience points. They can also learn trade skills. As characters gain experience, they level up, becoming stronger and gaining new abilities, spells, and equipment by completing challenges like entering castles, defeating enemies, and completing quests given by non-player characters.

EverQuest allows players to interact with others through role-playing, joining guilds, and dueling (which is only allowed in specific areas or on a special server). The game world includes over 500 zones, and multiple versions of the world exist on different servers. In the past, servers had more than 3,000 players each. The game is designed for teamwork, with each player having a specific role in a group.

When EverQuest was released in 1999, players could choose from 14 character classes. Two additional classes—Beastlord and Berserker—were added later in expansions. Classes are grouped into four categories based on their abilities and playstyle, with some classes limited to certain races.

Melee classes fight enemies up close using physical attacks. These include the Warrior, who wears heavy armor and protects the group by drawing enemies’ attention; the Monk, who uses martial arts and hand-to-hand combat; the Rogue, who can sneak, hide, and steal from enemies; and the Berserker, who uses two-handed weapons like axes and enters a powerful fighting state.

Priest classes focus on healing allies. These include the Cleric, who wears heavy armor and heals and strengthens teammates; the Druid, who uses magic from nature to restore health and energy; and the Shaman, who uses spiritual powers to heal, empower others, and weaken enemies.

Caster classes use magic and wear light armor. These include the Wizard, who uses fire, ice, and magic for attacks and teleportation; the Magician, who summons elemental helpers; the Necromancer, who uses disease and poison and controls undead allies; and the Enchanter, who uses illusions to confuse enemies and support allies.

Hybrid classes can perform multiple roles. These include the Paladin, who can heal or take damage; the Shadowknight, who uses melee attacks and poison; the Bard, who uses magical songs to damage enemies, heal allies, or increase movement speed; the Ranger, who uses bows, arrows, and healing magic while tracking enemies; and the Beastlord, who fights alongside animal companions and helps heal or support teammates.

EverQuest includes many deities, each with specific responsibilities and roles in the game’s story. Certain armor and weapons are tied to specific deities, meaning only characters who worship those deities can wear or use them. Deities also influence where characters can travel safely without being attacked.

The EverQuest world is divided into more than 500 zones, each representing different areas like plains, oceans, cities, deserts, and other planes of existence. One popular zone is the Plane of Knowledge, where all races and classes can coexist peacefully. This zone also has portals to many other zones, including other planes and the outskirts of nearly every starting city.

History

EverQuest was first imagined by John Smedley in 1996. The original design was created by Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. The game was developed by Sony's 989 Studios and its early-1999 spin-off Verant Interactive. It was published by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). After SOE acquired Verant in late 1999, EverQuest was developed by Sony Online Entertainment.

The design of EverQuest was strongly influenced by text-based MUDs, especially DikuMUD. Because of this, EverQuest is seen as a 3D version of the text MUD genre, similar to earlier games like Meridian 59 and The Realm Online. John Smedley, Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost, who helped create the world of EverQuest, often mentioned their experience playing MUDs like Sojourn and TorilMUD as inspiration for the game. Artist Keith Parkinson designed the box covers for early versions of EverQuest.

Development of EverQuest began in 1996 when John Smedley, an executive at Sony Interactive Studios America (SISA), got funding for a 3D game inspired by text-based MUDs. After the success of Meridian 59, Smedley hired programmers Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover, who had worked on the single-player RPG Warwizard. McQuaid later became the executive producer for EverQuest and became well-known among fans through his in-game character, Aradune. Other key team members included Bill Trost, who created the history and characters of Norrath, Geoffrey "GZ" Zatkin, who designed the spell system, and artist Milo D. Cooper, who created the original character models.

Beta testing for EverQuest began in November 1997.

EverQuest was launched on March 16, 1999, under the Verant Interactive brand with low expectations from Sony. It quickly became popular and surpassed Ultima Online in subscriptions by the end of 1999. Subscription numbers grew rapidly until mid-2001, when growth slowed. At first, the game used volunteer "Guides" to help players through petitions. Guides could forward issues to a server's Game Master or resolve them themselves. Some guides also helped with events and were rewarded with free game subscriptions and expansions. In 2003, the Guide program changed, moving volunteers to roles as role-playing characters in the game.

Before the PlayStation launch, Sony decided to focus on console games under 989 Studios and moved EverQuest to a new computer game division called Redeye (later renamed Verant Interactive). Initially, Sony had low expectations for EverQuest, but its success in 2000 led to Verant Interactive being reorganized into Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). John Smedley remained in control, but many original team members, including Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover, left SOE by 2002.

The first four expansions were released in physical boxes about one year apart. These expansions added large new areas, new races, and new classes. The 2001 expansion, Shadows of Luclin, updated player character models to modern standards, but non-player characters like vendors kept older graphics. The 2002 expansion, Planes of Power, introduced The Plane of Knowledge, a hub zone for quick travel, making long-distance travel less common.

In 2002, EverQuest expanded into Europe with the New Dawn campaign, creating local servers in Germany, France, and Great Britain and offering German and French language versions. The following year, a Mac OS X version was released.

In 2003, digital distribution of expansions began with Legacy of Ykesha. After this, expansions became less ambitious but were released twice a year instead of once.

The same year, EverQuest entered the console market with EverQuest Online Adventures for PlayStation 2. It was a prequel to the original game. Other spin-offs included the PC strategy game Lords of EverQuest (2003) and the co-op game Champions of Norrath (2004) for PlayStation 2.

The first proper sequel, EverQuest II, was released in late 2004. It took place 500 years after the original game but faced strong competition from Blizzard's World of Warcraft, which was released around the same time.

After the release of World of Warcraft and other modern MMORPGs, EverQuest's player numbers began to decline. The New Dawn servers were closed in 2005 and merged into a European server.

The 2006 expansion, The Serpent's Spine, introduced Crescent Reach, a city where all races and classes can start playing. This was meant to help new players learn the game more easily. The 2008 expansion, Seeds of Destruction, added computer-controlled companions called "mercenaries" to help with group activities. After this, expansions were released once a year instead of twice.

In March 2012, EverQuest changed to a free-to-play model with three tiers: free (Bronze), one-time fee (Silver), and subscription (Gold). That same month, EverQuest Online Adventures was closed. Earlier that year, EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies also became free-to-play.

In June 2012, SOE removed the ability to buy subscriptions with Station Cash without warning. SOE apologized and briefly restored the option before permanently removing it.

The last Mac OS server, Al'Kabor, closed on November 18, 2013.

In February 2015, Sony sold its online entertainment division to Columbus Nova, and Sony Online Entertainment was renamed Daybreak Game Company (DBG). A period of uncertainty followed, with all projects under review.

Expansions

Since the game was first released, there have been thirty-one expansions added. Expansions are bought individually and add more content to the game, such as increasing the highest level characters can reach, introducing new races, classes, areas, continents, quests, items, and features. When players buy the most recent expansion, they also get all earlier expansions they might have missed. The game also receives updates through downloadable patches. The EverQuest expansions are listed below.

Servers

The game operates on multiple servers, each with a unique name for identification. These names originally came from the gods of the world of Norrath. Technically, each server is a group of computers working together. Once a character is created, it can only be played on that server unless customer service moves it to another server, usually for a fee. Each server often has its own community, and players often mention the server name when talking about their character outside the game.

There is an official list of EverQuest servers, as well as unofficial servers run by third parties. For example, the Project 1999 servers aim to recreate EverQuest as it was when the game first launched and during the next two expansions, known as the "Classic Trilogy."

SOE created one server, Al'Kabor, for the Mac OS X version of the game. It began beta testing in early 2003 and officially launched on June 24, 2003. The game was not updated beyond the Planes of Power expansion and had features and bugs different from the PC version because its code was separated from the PC version earlier and not updated afterward. In January 2012, SOE planned to shut down Al'Kabor, but after players strongly opposed the decision, SOE changed it to a free-to-play model instead. Around the same time, SOE updated the Mac client to work on Intel processors, which left older PowerPC-based systems unable to play the game. Al'Kabor was closed in November 2013.

Two SOE servers, Antonius Bayle and Kane Bayle, were created to better serve players in Europe. Kane Bayle was later merged into Antonius Bayle.

With the New Dawn promotion, Ubisoft set up three additional servers: Venril Sathir (British), Sebilis (French), and Kael Drakkal (German). Players could move their characters to these servers but could not move them away.

Later, SOE took over these three servers and merged them into the Antonius Bayle server.

Reception

When EverQuest was released in 1999, reviews were mostly positive. It received an 85 out of 100 score from the review website Metacritic. Compared to other online role-playing games at the time, critics called it "the best game in its class" and "the most immersive and most addictive online RPG to date." Dan Amrich of GamePro magazine said the game's developers "created the first true online killer app" and that the game "obliterated" the standard for online gaming. However, the reviewer noted that the early levels had repetitive gameplay and that the game lacked enough instructions for new players, suggesting they seek help from fan websites. Greg Kasavin of GameSpot found the combat "uninteresting" but praised the game for allowing players to choose whether to fight each other and for encouraging teamwork. He also pointed out that the game had some bugs, a poor manual, and a basic quest system, but still called it one of the most memorable gaming experiences he had. Baldric of Game Revolution said the game was more cooperative than Ultima Online but had less interaction with the environment, calling it "player oriented" instead of "world oriented."

Despite problems with servers during the launch, reviewers said the game ran well even on older network equipment. Tal Blevins of IGN noted that the game rarely had major lag issues. However, the reviewer mentioned that players had limited customization options, as characters of the same race looked similar. The game's visuals were described as "excellent," with impressive spell effects, lighting, and particle effects. Next Generation said EverQuest set a high standard for its genre. Computer Games Magazine praised the game's 3D graphics, first-person perspective, environments, and simple combat system, calling it a step toward creating a true virtual world.

EverQuest was named GameSpot's 1999 Game of the Year. The website said the game's release caused delays in other projects and that GameSpot editors spent more time playing the game than working. In 2004, GameSpot included EverQuest in its list of the Greatest Games of All Time. GameSpot UK ranked it 14th on its list of the 100 Best Computer Games of the Millennium, calling it a "technological tour de force" and the first online RPG to bring high-quality production values to multiplayer games. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences named EverQuest "Online Game of the Year" at the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Game Revolution called it the Best PC RPG of 1999. Time magazine included it in its Best of 1999 in the "Tech" category, and Entertainment Weekly added it to its Top Ten Hall of Fame Video Games of the '90s. In 2007, Sony Online Entertainment received a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for EverQuest under the category of "Development of Massively Multiplayer Online Graphical Role Playing Games." In 2011, EverQuest received a Hall of Fame award for its long-term influence on online gaming, including being the first MMORPG to feature a guild system and raiding.

Editors of Computer Gaming World and GameSpot both nominated EverQuest for their 1999 "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards, which were won by Planescape: Torment. CNET Gamecenter also nominated EverQuest for the same award, which went to Asheron's Call. GameSpot nominated EverQuest for Best Multiplayer Game of 1999, which was won by Quake III Arena. In 2012, 1UP.com ranked EverQuest 57th on its list of the Top 100 Essential Games. Game Informer placed it 33rd on their list of the top 100 video games of all time in 2009.

Before its release in March 1999, EverQuest was the most pre-ordered PC game on EBGames.com. It had 10,000 active subscribers 24 hours after launch, making it the best-selling online RPG at that time. By April 1999, it had 60,000 subscribers. Six months later, 225,000 copies had been sold, with 150,000 active subscribers. By early 2000, domestic sales reached 231,093 copies, generating $10.6 million in revenue. By September 2000, the game had sold 352,000 copies and had 259,000 subscribers. NPD Techworld reported that 559,948 units of EverQuest had been sold in the United States by December 2002. Subscription numbers reached over 500,000 active accounts by 2003. By the end of 2004, the game had sold over 3 million copies worldwide and had 550,000 active subscribers. As of September 2020, EverQuest had 66,000 subscribers and 82,000 monthly active players.

Controversies

The sale of virtual items in video games for real money is a topic that causes debate and generates income. Concerns include practices such as hacking or stealing game accounts for profit. Critics argue that these sales can disrupt the balance of the game's virtual economy. In 2001, eBay banned the sale of in-game items for real money.

In the real-world economy, some companies create game characters, quickly improve their abilities (a process called "powerleveling"), and then sell the characters or in-game items for large amounts of money.

Sony does not allow players to pay real money for in-game items, except on specific "Station Exchange" servers in EverQuest II, which were introduced in July 2005. This system lets players buy in-game items from other players for a small fee. However, this rule applies only to selected servers in EverQuest II and not to older versions of the game.

In 2012, Sony introduced an in-game item called a "Krono," which gives players 30 days of game membership in EverQuest and EverQuest II. The item initially costs $17.99 each, with a discount for buying up to 25 items for $424.99. Players can trade "Kronos" with others, making the item valuable in real-world transactions.

In October 2000, a company called Verant banned a player named Mystere for creating fan fiction that caused controversy. This action led to debates about player rights and whether roleplaying in games crosses into intellectual property issues. Scholars later used this case to discuss digital rights.

Some people believe the game can be addictive. Players sometimes jokingly call it "EverCrack," comparing it to a drug. In 2001, a player named Shawn Woolley died by suicide. His mother, Liz, started a group called Online Gamers Anonymous to help others dealing with similar issues. Shawn had been diagnosed with depression and schizoid personality disorder, and his mother believed the suicide was linked to a betrayal in the game.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are sometimes described as "chat rooms with a graphical interface." Studies on a website called "the HUB" examine social aspects of EverQuest and other MMORPGs, including virtual relationships, player behavior, and gender issues.

In May 2004, a person named Woody Hearn asked EverQuest players to stop buying an expansion called "Omens of War" to pressure the game company to fix problems. The request was later canceled after the company held a meeting to address player concerns and improve communication.

In January 2008, a Brazilian court ruled that the game could not be sold in that country. The judge claimed the game harms players' morals and causes serious psychological problems due to its storylines.

EverQuestfranchise

Since the release of EverQuest, Sony Online Entertainment has created several games connected to EverQuest. These include:

• EverQuest Hero's Call (Pocket PC, January 2003)
• EverQuest Online Adventures (PlayStation 2, February 2003)
• EverQuest Online Adventures Frontiers (PlayStation 2, November 2003)
• Lords of EverQuest (PC, December 2003)
• Champions of Norrath (PlayStation 2, February 2004)
• EverQuest Hero's Call 2 (Pocket PC, April 2004)
• EverQuest II (PC, November 2004)
• EverQuest War On Faydwer (Pocket PC, launched in early April 2004; parts were added to Echoes of Faydwer (DLC) in 2006)
• Champions: Return to Arms (sequel to Champions of Norrath, PlayStation 2, February 2005)
• EverQuest Role-Playing Game (a role-playing game made with White Wolf using the d20 system)
• Legends of Norrath (a virtual card game released in 2007 or early 2008; gives in-game items to EverQuest and EverQuest II players)
• EverQuest Next (a story-based EverQuest game, cancelled)
• EverQuest Next Landmark (a world-building EverQuest game, cancelled)

Several novels set in the world of EverQuest have been published, including:

• Rogue's Hour, by Scott Ciencin (October 2004)
• Ocean of Tears, by Stewart Wieck (October 2005)
• Truth and Steel, by Thomas M. Reid (September 2006)
• The Blood Red Harp, by Elaine Cunningham (October 2006)

General and cited references

Malone, Krista-Lee (2007). "Dragon Kill Points: The Study of Money Matters in Power Gamers." Games and Culture. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.1008035. ISSN 1555-4120. SSRN 1008035.