It shouldn't come as any surprise to the few Mac gamers still playing, but Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) reaffirmed yesterday that it is shutting down the Mac version of EverQuest.
EverQuest is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) set in the fantasy realm of Norrath. Players create a character based on one of sixteen races in the game, which run the gamut from humans to dwarves, trolls, the feline Vah Shir, and more. Players assume character classes which determine their abilities - warriors, magic users, healers and others.
Sony's relationship with the Mac version of the game has been fraught with difficulty from the start: they waited several years after the game's original release to do a Mac port, and when it finally emerged, Sony segregated the Mac release to its own server, which was not updated with the same expansions and functionality as its Windows counterpart.
Despite the setbacks and limitations, EverQuest Mac had a small but fiercely loyal contingent of players, but by 2012, Sony felt it had reached the end of the road, and announced plans to "sunset," or shut down, the EverQuest Mac server. EverQuest Mac players convinced Sony to reverse the decision several weeks later. Now, a year and a half later, Sony's once again announced plans to shut down the Mac-only Al'Kabor server.
John Smedley, president of SOE, took to the EverQuest forums to explain the decision:
We said this before and now we really have to do it – we’re sunsetting EQ Mac. As a passionate Mac player, I’m disappointed to have to share this news. We decided to keep the game running after receiving your feedback when we originally announced the sunset plans early last year, but with all of our development aligned towards our upcoming slate of games, we simply cannot justify the resources required to continue to support this version of the game. Please know that this was not a decision that was taken lightly. It was a hard call to make, but we know it’s the right thing to do. Thank you for your support of EQ Mac and the time spent in the game.
Have you ever played EverQuest? Or did you move on to other MMOs, like World of Warcraft? Disappointed in the news? Sound off in the comments and let me know what you think.
