<s>
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
was	O
a	O
planned	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
,	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
Adventures	I-Protocol
and	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
not	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
sequel	O
or	O
prequel	O
to	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
franchise	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
present	O
to	O
players	O
a	O
"	O
parallel	O
world	O
"	O
of	O
Norrath	B-Protocol
,	O
one	O
in	O
which	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
locations	O
and	O
characters	O
may	O
be	O
familiar	O
,	O
but	O
specific	O
relationships	O
and	O
events	O
can	O
diverge	O
from	O
the	O
official	O
storylines	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
had	O
stated	O
an	O
intention	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
a	O
style	O
of	O
gameplay	O
more	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
,	O
while	O
retaining	O
the	O
advances	O
in	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
design	O
that	O
have	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
years	O
since	O
that	O
game	O
first	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
indication	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
appeared	O
in	O
a	O
chapter	O
written	O
by	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
creative	O
director	O
Rich	O
Waters	O
in	O
the	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
10th	O
Anniversary	O
Book	O
(	O
2009	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Sony	O
Online	O
Entertainment	O
Live	O
2012	O
event	O
,	O
John	O
Smedley	O
stated	O
that	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
has	O
been	O
completely	O
redeveloped	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
What	O
we	O
are	O
building	O
is	O
something	O
that	O
we	O
will	O
be	O
very	O
proud	O
to	O
call	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
will	O
be	O
the	O
largest	O
sandbox	O
style	O
MMO	O
ever	O
designed	O
...	O
We	O
are	O
remaking	O
Norrath	B-Protocol
unlike	O
anything	O
you	O
’ve	O
ever	O
seen	O
,	O
but	O
you	O
'll	O
recognize	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
Sony	O
Online	O
Entertainment	O
Live	O
,	O
John	O
Smedley	O
mentioned	O
that	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
will	O
attempt	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
free-to-play	O
model	O
for	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
PAX	O
East	O
2013	O
,	O
game	O
developer	O
Dave	O
Georgeson	O
confirmed	O
a	O
full	O
reveal	O
of	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
on	O
August	O
2	O
at	O
SOE	O
Live	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
subdivided	O
into	O
two	O
segments	O
:	O
a	O
standard	O
,	O
quest-based	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
a	O
world-building	O
tool	O
called	O
Landmark	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Smedley	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
best	O
of	O
Landmarks	B-Protocol
player-made	O
worlds	O
would	O
have	O
been	O
brought	O
into	O
the	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
31	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Nexts	I-Protocol
counterpart	O
Landmark	B-Protocol
began	O
its	O
official	O
alpha	O
testing	O
phase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Landmark	B-Protocol
began	O
its	O
closed-beta	O
testing	O
on	O
March	O
26	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
John	O
Smedley	O
confirmed	O
that	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
would	O
be	O
coming	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2014	O
,	O
at	O
SOE	O
Live	O
,	O
the	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
team	O
revealed	O
three	O
new	O
classes	O
:	O
the	O
Tempest	O
,	O
the	O
Cleric	O
and	O
the	O
Elementalist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Daybreak	O
shifted	O
the	O
main	O
development	O
focus	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
from	O
Landmark	B-Protocol
to	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
16	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
during	O
a	O
with	O
Daybreak	O
's	O
Holly	O
Longdale	O
,	O
Holly	O
indirectly	O
confirmed	O
reviving	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
(	O
or	O
,	O
at	O
minimum	O
,	O
a	O
potential	O
spinoff	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
on	O
March	O
6	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
Holly	O
mutually	O
stepped	O
down	O
as	O
producer	O
,	O
leaving	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Next	I-Protocol
in	O
a	O
questionable	O
state	O
.	O
</s>
