EverQuest: The Underdog MMO That Conquered the World

This article recounts the unlikely rise of EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Unlike the pioneering Ultima Online, EverQuest cleverly capitalized on its predecessor's mistakes, creating a more focused and user-friendly experience. Starting as an unassuming project within Sony, led by John Smedley and bolstered by designers Brad McQuaid and Steve Clover from the MUD community, EverQuest avoided the chaos of player-versus-player (PvP) combat seen in Ultima Online. By emphasizing player-versus-environment (PvE) gameplay and utilizing a savvy grassroots marketing strategy, EverQuest achieved phenomenal success, becoming the most popular MMORPG of its time before eventually being surpassed by World of Warcraft.