Calling it a “labor of love,” Daybreak President Russell Shanks writes that after setting out to make something ‘revolutionary’, and after “accomplish[ing] incredible feats that astonished industry insiders,” EverQuest Next, the third game in the EverQuest MMO series, has been cancelled.

The reason for EverQuest Next’s cancellation seems to stem from the fact that “it wasn’t fun”, and that Daybreak felt that EverQuest Next “would not meet the expectations we – and all of you – have for the worlds of Norrath.”

Shanks goes on to say that the ‘future’ of the EverQuest franchise is “important to us here at Daybreak”, stating that EverQuest I and II will continue to be supported in the future.

Regarding other EverQuest related news, Landmark, the last remnant of EverQuest Next, will be launching this spring for $9.99 USD. There are currently no plans for Landmark to be made available for free-to-play, and there are no plans for Landmark to “require a membership to access Landmark or include Landmark in All Access.”

This is sad news for Everquest fans, and the third of recent F2P cancellations, with Fable Legends being cancelled just a few days ago, and Triad Wars being phased out in January. As Shanks said though, it’s not the end for EverQuest.

Quick Take:

Glancing in, this looks to be a very strange move from Daybreak. With games such as Black Desert Online finally making their way over to Western shores, EverQuest Next was in seemingly a better position than ever to make a mark on the ever-shifting MMO market. Apparently not, and one has to wonder if Western MMO's are on a permanent decline. Going back to EverQuest Next, with the now cancelled MMO in development for at least three years, it looks as though there won’t be another EverQuest anytime soon – if ever. Hopefully it’s not, and that something comes out of the wreckage ala Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch, but I’m not holding my breath.

What do you think of EverQuest Next’s cancellation? Is Daybreak making a mistake? Let us know in the comments!