The Launch of EverQuest (1999)

Torch-lit fantasy harbor city at night with a stone guard tower

Built by Verant, backed by Sony

EverQuest was created by Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover and Bill Trost, with John Smedley as producer, and developed by Verant Interactive. It was published by Sony’s 989 Studios and launched in North America on March 16, 1999.

A 3D world you shared with thousands

Earlier online games were mostly text or 2D. EverQuest put players in a fully 3D fantasy world, Norrath, with first-person view, group combat, dangerous dungeons and a death penalty that made every fight matter. It quickly became one of the most popular online games in North America.

SOE, then Daybreak

Verant was folded into Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), which ran the game through the 2000s. In 2015 Sony sold SOE, which was renamed Daybreak Game Company. EverQuest is now developed by Darkpaw Games, a Daybreak studio, and still gets new expansions: 32 so far, with Favors of Fortune due in 2026 (see the timeline).

Sources: Wikipedia: EverQuest · Wikipedia: Verant Interactive · Wikipedia: Daybreak Game Company

Illustrations are original fan art made for this site, not in-game screenshots.