It was just announced that Brad McQuaid, developer of Everquest, Vanguard Saga of Heroes and his masterpiece, Panthoen: Rise of the Fallen has passed away last night. Here is the text from the facebook post…
It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we share that Brad McQuaid, Chief Creative Officer of Visionary Realms passed away in his home last night.
Brad was a visionary, a mentor, an artist, a trailblazer, a friend, a husband, a father. He touched thousands of lives with his dreams and concepts. He changed the landscape of video games forever. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered in life and in Pantheon.
Thank you, Brad, for bringing us together through your worlds. Rest in peace, Aradune.
All of us at Visionary Realms offer our deepest condolences to Brad’s family and during this most difficult time, we kindly ask that you respect the privacy of Brad’s family.
Wow, this is pretty shocking. This is a sad time, Mr. McQuaid was one of the father’s of the MMO genre and he will be greatly missed. I really hope Pantheon comes to fruition so we can enjoy the fruits of his last labor.
Very sad news. So many hours, so many friends made, all in a world he helped to create! Hard to imagine where the MMO would have gone without Everquest. To me, Everquest was the best and the magic it created upon entering and hearing that classic music and sounds will never be matched!
I would not have invested so much money (or any money, for that matter) to help fund Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen if it didn’t have Brad’s name attached to it. He had done two MMOs prior to Pantheon (Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes) and they’re literally my two favorite MMOs of all time. That’s no coincidence. That’s all the genius of Brad McQuaid. And I’m completely crushed over this news. He was so passionate about his work. He also took time out of his no-doubt busy schedule to interact with fans in person and over social media. He loved what he did and loved sharing his work with others. I had several conversations with Brad over various platforms about different gameplay mechanics, stylistic elements, or whatever the topic of the day was. He was always so down-to-Earth, approachable, and invested that you couldn’t help feel drawn to the man and his endeavors. I’m much older now than I was during those Everquest days and I don’t get this way about games over developers anymore. I have more important things in my life to focus on. This is the exception. Brad was the exception. RIP, Aradune.
I cried when I first read about this, honestly. Brad’s games - EverQuest and Vanguard - were very close to my heart as a gamer. I LOVED both of these games, and in fact am back in EverQuest on Project 1999, even before I heard about this. I had already planned to back Pantheon in December, and that definitely has not changed. I so can’t wait for this game. I can only imagine the in-game memorial they will put in place for him.
I am deeply saddened to hear this news. I have spent more time and loved being in the world of Norrath than maybe I should have but it become like home to me. I am speaking primarily of the original game of course and it’s world that to this day is very special and quite unlike any other to follow. He brought so much joy and happiness along with a very special community of players and opportunities for friendships to blossom that could never have happened any other way. He certainly will be missed. I believe he is in another special world now where he’ll be rewarded for a life so well lived. So rest in peace and thank you so much Brad for giving me a place to go when I so needed one, a place of amazing imagination and fun and friendships. I cannot thank you enough for all those hours and I am not done yet. I have departed WoW for what I believe now to be the last time and will be returning to my roots in original EverQuest. I already had these plans and so this news feels particularly sad to me but the circle of life is a natural thing and we all come full circle in our time.
I visit the PRotF forums about once a week/two weeks. Found out about this just now. I’m stunned … wasn’t sure if it was some kind of memory lane for those who have met Brad. Brad was what … in his 40’s / early 50’s?
Man, I loved Brad and his past games… but the future of Pantheon is now even MORE uncertain. I really want to invest in the game but I need to see more development and have assurances that it WILL come out. Is that asking too much? Anyone else feeling that way?
For what it’s worth, the Pantheon development team has stated they will complete Pantheon the way Brad would have wanted. I don’t doubt them. But a part of me will always wonder how it might be different if Brad’s creative vision had been there the entire way. Not unlike Apple losing its innovative edge with the loss of Steve Jobs (in my opinion).