Everquest Next - Preview @ Forbes

Forbes has another preview for Everquest Next talking about expectations and speculation.

Is it entering the realm of mad ambition to try to push out a procedurally generated voxel MMORPG with emergent AI?  Role definitions thrown out the window with 40 mixable classes?  No levels or level cap?  Pets for everyone?  What is this? It’s almost disingenuous to call it a MMORPG by the current common usage of the term.  It has the potential to be rather terrifying, as current consumers of MMOs will realize rather quickly that this is EverQuest in name and lore alone.

While current consumers can claim they’re looking for something other than the core MMORPG experience currently offered by titles like World of Warcraft, the title still commands 7.7 million subscribers.

There’s the question of whether or not the MOBA/ARTS genre is taking players out of MMORPGs entirely, but that’s another issue.  Does SOE overpromise and underdeliver? With EverQuest Next they are taking MMORPGs in a different direction, way beyond what we’ve seen in recent years with shifts toward free-to-play as the standard and the rise of “action” MMOs.  It’s bold. It’s brave.  Is it flying too close to the sun?