Post by Morreion on Nov 20, 2019 22:24:20 GMT -5
EverQuest lead producer and designer Brad McQuaid has passed away (Ars Technica)
...McQuaid worked as a game programmer and designer starting back in the late 1980s, but he is most well-known for his role as lead programmer, producer, and designer (at various times) on EverQuest, the 1999 massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that defined the genre to this day. EQ, which adapted the DikuMUD formula from text games for a 3D persistent graphical virtual world, was a breakthrough moment for MMORPGs. Its success codified that model for the genre as other, different ideas of what MMORPGs might look like (such as those posited by Meridian 59, Underlight, or Ultima Online) largely faded into memory.
McQuaid was involved in designing some of the very first raids as we know them today, and his work had significant influence on later games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny, and many more.
He later went on to co-found Sigil Games, which developed and launched the hardcore MMO Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game found a niche audience seeking demanding, group-oriented content—a focus of McQuaid's work over the years—amidst a market of increasingly casual and solo-friendly MMOs. Most recently, McQuaid was working at Visionary Realms on the above-mentioned Pantheon, which marries that model to some newer game-design ideas. Pantheon is still in development...
McQuaid was involved in designing some of the very first raids as we know them today, and his work had significant influence on later games like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, The Elder Scrolls Online, Destiny, and many more.
He later went on to co-found Sigil Games, which developed and launched the hardcore MMO Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game found a niche audience seeking demanding, group-oriented content—a focus of McQuaid's work over the years—amidst a market of increasingly casual and solo-friendly MMOs. Most recently, McQuaid was working at Visionary Realms on the above-mentioned Pantheon, which marries that model to some newer game-design ideas. Pantheon is still in development...
Brad McQuaid Dies: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know (Heavy)
2. McQuaid Said in 2017: ‘I Want to Make Worlds, Not Games’
In September 2017, McQuaid told Games Industry that he wanted “to make worlds, not games.” During the same interview, McQuaid discussed his belief that developing MMOs was different to developing more conventional video games because “they involve real people and that social aspect, because they’re so immersive – and will be even more so in the future.” McQuaid added that while he still played games, he felt MMOs were more like “watching a really good movie.”
5. A Colleague of McQuaid’s Said That the MMO Icon Had Died at His Home
Visionary Realms director of communications Benjamin Dean paid tribute in a post on Pantheon MMO’s official forum. Dean described McQuaid as “a visionary, a mentor, an artist, a trailblazer, a friend, a husband, a father.” Dean added that McQuaid had sadly passed away at his home. Dean also said that McQuaid had “changed the landscape of video games forever.”
MMO developer Raph Koster tweeted his condolences to McQuaid in a message that read, “Shocked & gutted to hear that Brad McQuaid aka @aradune has passed away. A big-hearted guy who loved games and the worlds he built. So many memories of design discussions with him over the years. He was so proud of @pantheonmmo. Way too soon. 😞 RIP Brad, you will be missed.”
In September 2017, McQuaid told Games Industry that he wanted “to make worlds, not games.” During the same interview, McQuaid discussed his belief that developing MMOs was different to developing more conventional video games because “they involve real people and that social aspect, because they’re so immersive – and will be even more so in the future.” McQuaid added that while he still played games, he felt MMOs were more like “watching a really good movie.”
5. A Colleague of McQuaid’s Said That the MMO Icon Had Died at His Home
Visionary Realms director of communications Benjamin Dean paid tribute in a post on Pantheon MMO’s official forum. Dean described McQuaid as “a visionary, a mentor, an artist, a trailblazer, a friend, a husband, a father.” Dean added that McQuaid had sadly passed away at his home. Dean also said that McQuaid had “changed the landscape of video games forever.”
MMO developer Raph Koster tweeted his condolences to McQuaid in a message that read, “Shocked & gutted to hear that Brad McQuaid aka @aradune has passed away. A big-hearted guy who loved games and the worlds he built. So many memories of design discussions with him over the years. He was so proud of @pantheonmmo. Way too soon. 😞 RIP Brad, you will be missed.”
Hat tip Jaema.
