EverQuest Next Has Been Officially Canceled, Landmark Set To Launch This Spring

After several delays and a long period of silence, EverQuest Next has been officially canceled. According to Daybreak Games President Russell Shanks, the game simply wasn't up to par. In the announcement, he says: "Unfortunately, as we put together the pieces, we found that [EverQuest Next] wasn’t fun. We know you have high standards when it comes to Norrath and we do too. In final review, we had to face the fact that EverQuest Next would not meet the expectations we – and all of you – have for the worlds of Norrath."

Despite EverQuest Next coming to an end, the EverQuest franchise will continue on. Shanks reassures the franchise's fans by saying that "the future of the EverQuest franchise as a whole is important to us here at Daybreak. EverQuest in all its forms is near and dear to our hearts. EverQuest and EverQuest II are going strong. Rest assured that our passion to grow the world of EverQuest remains undiminished."

Update: It was announced via the forums that Landmark will be launching this Spring with a $9.99 price tag despite the cancellation of EverQuest Next. A "HUGE game update" will be introduced to the game soon. The launch FAQ seems to imply that the reason this wasn't mentioned as a part of the cancellation announcement may be that they no longer see Landmark as a part of the EverQuest franchise.