John Smedley, a veteran among developers in the MMORPG genre, is currently working on a new game for Amazon. It has not been officially announced yet, but we already have some info.
He is the former CEO of Sony Online Entertainment and later Daybreak Games. Smedley became known for the MMORPG Everquest from 1999, a cornerstone of the genre that laid the foundation for many more games.
Everquest is still online today and even playable via Steam. It has received a total of 25 expansions. A sequel called “Everquest Next” was planned but was cancelled.
The Lord of the Rings MMORPG discarded, now he is working on something new
Initially, Smedley was working on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMORPG, which was ultimately discarded. The developers could not agree with the owners of the rights to The Lord of the Rings. The negotiations dragged on, so Amazon terminated the deal. Thus, the MMORPG that you had dreamed of for 2 years has been scrapped.
Since 2017, Smedley has been part of Amazon. He is now the head of the development team in San Diego. He doesn’t reveal much about his new game – just that it exists.
“I can’t say what I’m working on. But if I want to do a 500-person test tomorrow, I can start it from my desk,” he tells GameSpot. So it could start at any moment.
What kind of game is this? From earlier job postings, we know that it is a science fiction MMO and possibly even an MMORPG. A position was advertised for Senior Narrative Designer. This gives us a few clues about the game:
- It is set to take place in a brand new sci-fi world
- It will be a Massive Multiplayer Game
- They are looking for employees who have plenty of experience in MMO development
- Experience in storytelling in MMORPGs is desired.
It is also supposed to be a long-lasting game and reach a lifespan of more than 10 years, Smedley reveals in an interview with GameSpot.
What do you think about this topic? Are you sad that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMORPG has been discarded? Are you excited about John Smedley’s new game? Do you think it will be a true MMORPG? Or are you also doubting a release now? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
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