SOE Announces EverQuest for Mac

While EverQuest was released for Windows-running PCs back in 1999, Mac users never had a version of the game to call their own.

Thankfully, Sony Online Entertainment has announced that EverQuest will be coming to the platform sometime next spring. Along with the game, the game's expansion packs, known as The Shadows of Luclin, The Ruins of Kunark and The Scars of Velious, will also be available.

From the press release:

SAN DIEGO, CA - July 17 , 2002 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, announced today that its flagship product, EverQuest®, is coming to the Mac. SOE became an official online gaming developer for the Mac in January and has made its top games at The Station® (www.station.com), such as Wheel of Fortune Online and Jeopardy! Online, available to the more than 25 million Mac users.

"Supporting the Mac platform is a logical step towards growing our online community and building the most complete, interactive experience for gamers," said Scott McDaniel, Vice President of Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. "Combine the power and stability of Mac OS X with Apple's outstanding desktop systems and you've got an incredible gaming environment that'll take full advantage of EverQuest's huge and seamless 3D world."

"Mac OS X is awesome for playing games that involve fast-paced, high-end 3D graphics and visual effects because the most robust graphics technologies are built right into the operating system's core," said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. "EverQuest is a hugely successful game that delivers cutting-edge character development and player interaction. We're thrilled that EverQuest will take advantage of Mac OS X's advanced capabilities and provide a wonderful experience for our gamers."

In the Spring of 2003, Mac users can purchase the original EverQuest and the top-selling expansion packs including: The Shadows of Luclin™, The Ruins of Kunark™ and The Scars of Velious™. EverQuest, the world's most successful massively multiplayer online game, is one of the largest fantasy worlds ever created online. During peak periods, close to 100,000 adventurers and dragon slayers have explored the world of Norrath online, simultaneously. The active global EverQuest subscriber base is comprised of players from various countries throughout the "real" world, including the U.S., England, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, France, Italy and Australia.

The Station® (www.station.com) is the official provider of EverQuest, with software updates and news about the game, message boards and other community features, as well as an easy-to-use billing system for EverQuest's monthly subscription fee of $12.95.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), the online gaming division of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, is a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming that creates, develops and provides online entertainment for the personal computer, console, wireless, and online markets. With more than 13 million registered users, SOE's award-winning website, The Station ® (www.station.com) hosts a variety of entertaining games and player communities spanning numerous genres. In addition to blockbuster hits EverQuest® and Jeopardy! Online, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development such as PlanetSide™, Star Wars® Galaxies™, EverQuest® II, and the world's premier online-only console game for the PlayStation®2, EverQuest® Online Adventures™.

Westlake Interactive will be taking care of the task of bringing the game to the Mac, and has said development is progressing smoothly. No specific release date, pricing, or a possible box set of the game and expansion packs were mentioned as of yet. System requirements are unknown at this early stage, but the game will only run on Mac OS X.


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Updated:
07.19.02 - 3:16 AM
Mike Salbato