Sony Online Entertainment’s landmark game,EverQuest, has been inducted into the Game Developers Choice Online Awards Hall of Fame. As the Hall’s second inductee, joining Ultima Online, EverQuest (EQ) is being recognized for its contribution to the long-term advancement of online gaming, pioneering major shifts in the medium’s development and video games as a whole.EverQuest is credited for introducing the concepts of guilds and raiding within an online world, and is often cited as an inspiration for nearly every subsequent MMORPG.

A trailblazer within the MMO and online game genres, SOE’s work with EverQuest has continually been recognized by leaders in both the entertainment and video game industries — including such honors as a 2006 Walk of Game selection and 2008 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. To date, EverQuest has released 17 expansions, spanning from The Ruins of Kunark in April 2000 to House of Thule in October 2010, with the new Veil of Alaris expansion set for later this year — a feat which holds true to the franchise’s promise of rich, continuous content for the SOE community to enjoy.

“When we set out to create EverQuest, many felt it was an unattainable stretch of the imagination. As it turns out, EverQuest exceeded even our wildest expectations. Twelve years later, we are about to release its 18th expansion, and have big plans for its future,” said John Smedley, President, Sony Online Entertainment. “We are incredibly proud of its impact on the industry and the community we have built. Tonight’s honor is a testament to the hard working individuals who have contributed to EverQuest — both past and present.”

Just how much ground has EverQuest covered since its launch in 1999? More than 16,000 virtual square miles of dungeons, mountains, plains, valleys, cities and forests. Even more, 12+ million player-generated characters have been added to EverQuest to date, with more than 380,000 non-player characters amongst the population as well. Players have also been given access to more than 100,000 unique items to discover, create or buy in game, with nearly 3,000 yet to be discovered.

Along with EverQuest‘s Hall of Fame induction, GDC Online 2011 has nominated both DC Universe Online (Best Online Visual Arts, Best Online Technology) and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures (Best Audio for an Online Game) for respective Choice Online Awards.

EverQuest‘s 18th overall expansion, Veil of Alaris, is set to launch later this year. For further information, please visit: http://www.everquest.com/everquest.vm.

Source: SOE Press Release

Leave your comments below! Like what you saw, Follow us on Twitter @GamerFitNation and like us on Facebook!