Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen’s Brad McQuaid has a word or two (thousand) to say about the ongoing debate as to what constitutes an MMO and how games should be targeting audiences. And like the man himself, McQuaid’s opinions are sure to be divisive.

“I think the days of trying to develop a massive, super-expensive MMO in an attempt to appeal to as many people as possible, the ‘mass market,’ [are] over and can even be harmful to the entire online genre,” he posits. “The future should not only be a variety of MMOs to choose from but also a variety of styles to choose from, allowing players to play games without compromise… enabling gamers to choose an MMO that really entertains them and that has features, mechanics, and yes, revenue models they find both desirable and compatible.”

McQuaid also had a lot to say about his former boss John Smedley stepping down as Daybreak’s CEO, giving Smedley credit for EverQuest’s creation but disagreeing on the issue of current audiences for old-school MMOs.

“He believes in giving people a chance, even a second chance,” McQuaid said. “And he is willing to take risks, too, where so many larger companies and executive staff are quite the opposite: very risk intolerant. So his legacy is worthy of respect.”