A 1999 Everquest Remake Could Alienate Classic Fans, But It Appeals to Me Perfectly

The fact that EverQuest is still alive and kicking in 2026, a remarkable 27 years after its debut on March 16, 1999, is nothing short of amazing. This MMO from Sony Online Entertainment launched five years before World of Warcraft and continues to attract players today. Its longevity can be attributed to ongoing development and regular expansions, as well as its surprising survival after Sony sold SOE to a private equity firm, which then rebranded it as Daybreak Game Company. Now, in exciting news, the original EverQuest is being reimagined and will return as EverQuest Legends.

Back in 1999, you had to choose a side: either you were with the legendary Ultima Online from 1997 or you were all in on EverQuest. If you claimed to love both, you were seen as a bit untrustworthy. I’m not sure why I gravitated toward EverQuest—I think it might have been a nudge from a gaming magazine—and I quickly dismissed the (incredible) Ultima Online. Who wanted to spend their time running a shop in an MMO? (Though, honestly, that does sound appealing now.)

EverQuest felt more traditional to me, leaning heavily into D&D vibes, largely due to its roots in the MUDs that paved the way for graphical MMOs. It felt like a BioWare game set in a shared world. It wasn’t until 2004’s City of Heroes that I found an MMO that felt tailor-made for me, but EverQuest holds a close second. Yet, nearly 30 years and countless RPGs and MMOs later, my memories of it are hazy. It exists in my mind more as a feeling, and I felt a rush of nostalgia upon hearing about its revival, especially knowing it’s aimed at players who prefer solo experiences.

The EverQuest Legends site reveals that the original game has been “redesigned from the ground up to appeal to players who enjoy playing their games solo and/or casually.” This isn’t a simple restoration like World of Warcraft Classic; it’s a reinvention based on the 1999 original, refocused for solo play, featuring multi-class characters that feel powerful. Players will be able to create combinations like rogue/paladin/wizard in the classic version of Norrath, complete with the original art style, graphics, zones, spell effects, loot, and music. It sounds wild, and I’m genuinely intrigued.

This approach might ruffle the feathers of some old-school players who were hoping for a more faithful recreation, but it seems like this project was designed with me in mind. There will still be options for four-person groups and eight-person raids, but I’ve always enjoyed soloing through these worlds, and now it’s going to be easier to do just that.

Of course, it could also turn out to be a total disaster. Who knows? I’ve signed up for the beta to find out, and you can too on the official site, though there’s no word yet on when it will kick off.

Now, if only someone could snag the rights to City of Heroes and give that fantastic game a similar treatment.