In sad news for the MMORPG industry, a giant in the development of the gaming genre, Brad McQuaid, key designer for EverQuest died on November 18.
His death, confirmed by the team at Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen developer Visionary Realms, comes as a great loss to those who loved him and the industry in general.
“It is with deep regret we share that Brad McQuaid passed away last night,” Visionary Realm’s official Twitter account tweeted. “He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by gamers worldwide. Thank you for bringing us together through your worlds. Rest in peace @Aradune. VR offers our deepest condolences to Brad’s family.”
McQuaid entered the games industry when he co-founded MicroGenesis with Steve Clover and began work on the WarWizard titles. He was eventually hired by John Smedley of Sony Interactive Studios America in 1996.
The title he began work on for Smedley and Sony would become the online role-playing game EverQuest.
“It kills me to even write this – Brad McQuaid has passed away,” former SOE president John Smedley tweeted. “Brad was an amazingly talented creator and EverQuest wouldn’t exist without his genius. He will be missed.”
The MMORPG industry would be an entirely different place without McQuaid’s work on EverQuest. The entire concept of virtual worlds and their impact on communities has been influenced by his work.
Rest without sorrow, Brad McQuaid, from the entire team at Vox Ex Machina.
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