RIP Brad McQuaid

[galach]

Per their facebook page. Wow. No more Pantheon?

[Tzug]

Really hope it was from natural causes.

Regardless, he undoubtedly had a profound impact on all of us on this board. Thank you for the good times, Brad. Rest in Peace.

[bubur]

Here's a post from someone, who I believe is a Visionary Realms employee, confirming:

https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/11315/with-deepest-regrets-aradune-has-passed-away

Really unfortunate

[Llandris]

:(

[loramin]

:(

https://i.imgur.com/u3Tph6e.gif?noredirect

https://i.imgur.com/z1EQbTF.gif

[Lulz Sect]

i am very saddened to hear this
this game has saved my life multiple times
whatever your opinion of him, he gave us EverQuest
and for that i salute him

brad bless our elf souls

[Proven Guilty]

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.

[Sagus]

Ouch...

[Aquelin]

This is really sad news. RIP Brad. Thank you and the original team at Verant for what you've given us.

[Maelstrom]

Can't believe it!

RIP so sad =(

[Domo]

Ruhe in Frieden...

[Zekayy]

This one hurts

[Nirgon]

Flag at half mast forever

[mgriff02]

RIP, man. Hope you had the chance to enjoy some Green with the rest of us.

[Aescher]

/mourn

https://i.imgur.com/aFAQDDM.jpg

[Danger]

Biggest F of all time

[azeth]

Rip Brad, I am really so so sad to hear this

[Evia]

Respect and a huge thank you for what he did in helping create Everquest. RIP

[Skarne]

From Rivervale to New York City, you will be missed

[So I want to be a Hero]

RIP Brad, so sad.

[ItsDeckard]

Rest in peace.

[Skittlez]

Fuck. This is like Carrie Fisher all over again. Star Wars and EverQuest, without a doubt, has had a bigger impact on who I am today than almost anything else. Hope his family is okay.

[shortshot444]

Think he was camping a Manastone on green?

[Ennewi]

Breathed life back into a genre that others declared dead. The vision lives on. RIP

[Swish]

20 years of enjoyment and counting, thank you BMQ <3

[Danger]

I hope he didn't fall back into his old habits, but that's my suspicion.

RIP Brad.

[Sear]

RIP big Brad, thank you for your vision.

Only met him once in passing when he came to our office, and I was more starstruck there than I was around actual celebrities/athletes. The man who designed EQ was always going to be a legend in my mind.

[Jamz Hopeslayer]

Rest in peace Brad. Your creation has meant a lot to me over the years. /salute

[Xathos53]

Such terrible sad news. Rest in peace, Brad, and thank you for EQ!

[Whyt]

R.I.P Brad McQuaid - Thank you for giving us one of the best games (in my opinion) ever created. I finish the night with a heavy heart.

[Phatez]

Rip elfgod

[Nagoya]

RIP Aradune and the Pantheon hype.
Maybe not a good man, but hell of a good designer.

Respect. Thanks for EQ and the memories.
Godspeed.

[Tenagra]

This really sucks. RIP Aradune. I feel like we should have an in-game memorial service or something.

[carthorn]

https://i.imgur.com/sZ4KDIt.png

Rest in peace Brad!
Thanks for the memories!

[ZiggyTheMuss]

RIP. Dude was only 51 that is pretty young by today's life expectancies, that is too bad. =( I really thought this was a troll when it was posted originally. I dedicate tonight's back workout to the man.

[Khikik]

Very sad news. :(

[hyper50]

Sad news... RIP.

[ZiggyTheMuss]

Crazy coincidence that there was just that announcement just yesterday about the other former EQ dev who just died as well.

[pink grapefruit]

Thanks for all the fun times, Brad! :)

You certainly had a positive effect on my life <3

[Samaritan]

RIP

[whitebandit]

devastated

[raski]

he returns to sit on his throne, Brad bless

[Teppler]

Major loss. Dude had one hell of a mind.

[Phaezed-Reality]

I didn't read the entire thread. But to a lot of us, he provided a place for us "nerds" to have a home. And make friends and not feel alone while growing up in our teens. I still have those friends, and I don't know what kind of person i'd be today without everquest and the community he created.

he will be missed, and brad bless takes on a whole new meaning.... what a fucking legend, what a visionary, and just wow. to young.

[oldhead]

Damn... just.. damn... The creator has passed.

[HomieGSB]

rip brad, long live aradune

[Kerwin 5.0]

Deserves nothing but our respect and A Statue should be put in game imo or npc. RIP Pal

[Palemoon]

I’ll be forever great full for the good times I had in Everquest and vanguard thanks to him

[Isey]

He's the reason why a lot of us are here on p1999. Thank you Brad.

[Bigby]

R.I.P.

[draconov]

R.I.P. legend.

[terrisus]

RIP

While MUDs had a far greater impact on me, the impact of EverQuest on me was immense.
I'm absolutely heartbroken to hear of his passing.

If only it could be 1999 again...
If only we could enjoy such joy and innocence once more.

RIP Brad

[edmazur]

RIP and thank you.

[Arakash]

Gygax and McQuaid the ultimate dungeon masters for their eras.

It won't be the same swimming in the Qeynos sewers knowing Aradune is gone. RL will always intrude. RIP Brad.

[Sloth]

Came out the woodwork for this.

RIP

[Neno]

Sad news. I remember the first time I ever interacted with him was in an IRC chat right before the launch of the phase 4 beta. The way he talked about the game and how passionate he was got me hooked. I was only like 14 at the time so didn't have a way to pay for the beta phase 4 CD shipping and this random guy from Germany in the chat paid my fee. Amazing game and amazing community. RIP.

[PointMade]

Article is worth the read: How a group of nobodies came together to create the game that defined a genre. (https://www.pcgamer.com/breaking-the-internet-the-story-of-everquest-the-mmo-that-changed-everything/)

[Kaight]

Wow, so sorry to hear this. Met him with Rogean at a Pantheon meet up a couple years ago and he was really kind.

[Somekid123]

I propose we erect a shrine in Rivervale for him.

[Pyrrhica]

RIP Brad. Legend. Everquest is the goat MMO and Vanguard was a good game after all its troubles. He definitely had his ups and downs but The Vision was real.

[Remeygi]

RIP

/salute

[Nirgon]

https://i.imgur.com/ebBViHU.png

Here rests Aradune the Green
His flaming sword was a beacon to all

[Cen]

Not sure what happened, he had a few minor addictions but anything can happen. He was really nice. When I met him last year in person he was so enthusiastic about how fun the Enchanter and Bard in pantheon is to play as.

[Novemix]

Surprised and saddened. 51 is way too young.

I think a memorial on the front page of project1999.com would be a nice gesture, possibly permanent.

[Splade]

I've finally reached the age where people who did shit when I was a kid are dying. Fuck man, so weird.

[messiah_b]

I can only say thank you Brad...thank you for so much.

[Danne]

F

[Quinas]

RIP.

[foxchris509]

Rest in peace Brad and thank you for this great game.

[Thulghor]

Rest in peace Brad. You will be missed.

[jeffd]

i haven't played EQ in years, but i still regard it as one of the greatest pieces of fantasy gaming/lore i've ever experienced. rip in peace big aradune, thanks for the memories.

[Fame]

Did he drop any good loot?

[Archythagoras]

Did he drop any good loot?

Flaming Sword

[Fame]

Flaming Sword

Mana stone

[Archythagoras]

Mana stone

He took that to heaven to show it off.

[LordStraddler]

Really sad to hear this. I hope Pantheon can be finished to complete his legacy. Salute McQuaid thanks for being such a big part of something that unexpectedly gave me so much!

Norathorr Mithaniel Marr

[Tethler]

Did he drop any good loot?

Classy

[JayDee]

RIP

[Jimjam]

/target aradune
/mourn

[Ruhtar]

Rest in peace, Brad. Very sad news for the MMO community.

[TanDemain]

Rest in Peace Brad. Definitely influenced my life in a big way. A true legend has passed, but his legacy will leave on in our hearts forever.

[Dac321]

This is upsetting news. He is responsible for so much joy in my teenage years. If it weren't for him I wouldn't have met some cool people. If it weren't for him, I would have missed out on a whole genre of entertainment.

The glass of scotch I will pour tonight will be in his name.

Long may he reign.

[blanks77]

Thank you Brad for creating my favorite game of all time. Brought me the best gaming memories I've ever had. Rest in peace.

[clobbercat]

Ugh, this sucks. He directly or indirectly changed our lives forever.

RIP Brad.

[conFIGured]

LOL

[Thrombosis]

RIP Brad :( I spent more time and had more enjoyment in your game than any others.

[Pilgrimzero]

EQ changed the course of my life. If not for EQ I might never have played D&D and had many great adventures in both games. Thanks Brad!

[Ahldagor]

Thank you and I hope you found some peace.

[sirarboc]

Rest in Peace Brad, thank you for all the great times that I have had in your game and will continue to have. TRAIN TO ZONE FOR BRAD!

[blackrw]

Sorta prophetic that I jumped into Project 1999 last night, restarting EQ after a 15 year hiatus so that I can share this experience with my teenage daughter. There are only a handful of things I feel so strongly about sharing with my daughter - travel abroad, good beer, certain books. EQ is among that short list.

Thanks for all the memories, Brad.

[AenorVZ]

i am very saddened to hear this
this game has saved my life multiple times
whatever your opinion of him, he gave us EverQuest
and for that i salute him

brad bless our elf souls

[Morningbreath]

He was one of the architects of modern culture. Everquest combined cutting edge graphics and networking tech to bring gaming to a new level of immersion and interaction. No loot boxes or level boosts—the gameplay was what kept people coming back and begging their friends to play.

After so many MMO’s have failed even with an established audience you realize what a special experience Brad and the rest of the development team created.

[Benanov]

No loot boxes

Sure, not per se. But there's definitely rare spawns and rare drops. Anyway.


EQ was a game meant to encourage cooperation among the playerbase. Reputation matters here. A lot of other games have lost sight of that and you can solo your way to the top.

Many design conceits were chosen deliberately for that - the group size of six is the one that sticks out for me. I remember it being attributed to studies that showed that that was the optimal size where people could figure out their role and be effective.

The game is really something special. RIP, Aradune. You will be missed.

[batkiller]

Can't believe it, so sad to hear this. His game helped me through a lot of difficult times, it has been my go-to alternative world for 20 years.

[Vizax_Xaziv]

Article is worth the read: How a group of nobodies came together to create the game that defined a genre. (https://www.pcgamer.com/breaking-the-internet-the-story-of-everquest-the-mmo-that-changed-everything/)


That was a great read! I think many of us, who've been playing EverQuest on-and-off for the better part of two decades, tend to forget just how revolutionary it was when it released.

Sure, other MMOs had come before it, but nothing presented with the size and scope that EverQuest offered. EQ was also responsible for proving the viability of the subscription-based MMO business model - something that still exists more than two decades later (and was surely responsible for the development of the MMOs that came after EQ).

They were also incredibly daring in their decision to make EQ REQUIRE a "3D accelerator card," something that virtually zero PC owners possessed. I'd say that EQ is certainly one of the early games that was responsible for the rise of "graphics cards" as we know them today.

[Vizax_Xaziv]

He was one of the architects of modern culture. Everquest combined cutting edge graphics and networking tech to bring gaming to a new level of immersion and interaction. No loot boxes or level boosts—the gameplay was what kept people coming back and begging their friends to play.

After so many MMO’s have failed even with an established audience you realize what a special experience Brad and the rest of the development team created.

We all understand how revolutionary EverQuest was in terms of game design, progression, socializing gameplay etc, but I think many people (even hardcore EQ nerds that play on servers like P99) are completely unaware of just how revolutionary the game was from a TECHNICAL standpoint as well.

As you said, specifically in the networking and graphics rendering area of things. And all this accomplished by a small team with an even smaller budget! It's amazing what's possible when the people designing and developing a game are doing so from a place of passion!

[TunaTheTroll]

PAX East 2018. I am at the Pantheon booth chatting to a dev when he mentions Brad and gestures toward the back. Lo and behold there stood Brad McQuaid, one of the creators of my favorite game of all time. I shook his hand and introduced myself before gushing out my love for EQ. Brad told the other dev that a spot had opened up later that afternoon to play the Alpha and told me to come back to the booth at 3.

Later when I returned I expected to be thrown into the game to have a look around and give them my feedback. I found the dev I had been talking to earlier and he informed me "Brad will be right back. He wanted to play alongside you personally." Brad returned, put on a headset, and proceeded to run a dungeon with me as Aradune followed by more EQ/Pantheon talk.

RIP

[aspomwell]

Deserves nothing but our respect and A Statue should be put in game imo or npc. RIP Pal

An in-game memorial would be awesome.

[rahmani]

Wtf just a few days after Matt McDonald committed suicide.

[Topgunben]

An in-game memorial would be awesome.

Not Classic

[Nirgon]

https://youtu.be/8EcP4vQyqS8

Brad tribute

[Vormotus]

I am still shocked he died. He was so young, practically close to my age.

Hope he died well and in peace.

RIP

Everquest has always been for me one of the few places where I can relax and escape from the dreary reality that surrounds me.

Since 2001 it has always been around me, only game I have continually played, over all the years and now finally here, where I can feel some of that original feeling of my golden years.

He will be missed and I am saddened as well by his passing, not because I knew him but his hand in the creation of this game into which I have poured so much of my own for almost 20 years.

So strange to be confronted by the reality of death, that it actually can reach you even in the virtual worlds you traverse to escape from everything.

I dont know about the rest of you, but for me Everquest has been the only outlet that has remained on my endless trips through the world fleeing from my past and perhaps even my future.

I at my age, have lost almost everything...

My country, my home, my family, some of my most loved ones , my friends and all the things I had to ditch during my long exile, my job , my own private practice office, my references and contacts ...

I have nowhere to return , my home is wrecked, invaded by others, no properties , no money , not even a place I could remotely feel attached to.

I lost my lifestyle and practically all the things I bought and earned through years of effort.

I am now diminished in this strange foreign land, with snippets of memories and the leftovers of my meagre belongings, most of them books with sentimental value that I was able to drag from the past and a city that is now as foreign to me as I am to it.

But over all that, over all that madness, that loss, that grief, the only thing I can always return to just feel a bit safe or perhaps feel sheltered of sorts is EQ.

No other MMO has given me that and as I grow older I think, no other will .


Here I can be free, roam endlessly and just exist in peace.

No one will come to take away what I have except the server shutting down, and when it happens, the memories, screenshots and friendships I have created will remain, in my mind.

For when I look back at the ashes of my own life , there is nothing but the dull void and pain of utter nothingness ...

But here? Here I can always remember and smile ... from the worst corpse runs to the most annoying players to the best encounters and endless grinding sessions chatting with others and sharing jokes, or simply staring at an endless series of pulls as everybody quietly is playing their characters and filling that yellow bubble before the DING that entails a new milestone reached.

Here there is only joy, bliss and a smile to warm my soul, for I have nothing left in the world but my remaining loved ones, some of them as scattered and lost and bereft of everything that made us who we are.

I dont know they if they have Everquest to rely on to soothe their souls, but I know how it feels to not have it.

And so, seeing Death here, is ... shocking, for it always pursue us, even if we avoid it.

So for Brad, hope he died well, doing what he loved and in peace, and if not, I will remember him nonetheless as the person that left a portion of his own soul in this place, just as I have poured some of mine here as well.

No one knows what lies in the other side, but I hope that whatever awaits him is bliss and peaceful.

Also a big hug to everybody here, for we all are, sadly, mortal.

Much love to everyone, hug anyone you can , live here, outside, in rl or virtual life, but live, enjoy, enjoy the things you want, do it now, do not wait.

You never know when it will end, so enjoy it while it lasts and while you can.

Hugs, kisses and even more love to everyone here, you all weird people as weird as me 8)

Love from the lonely Isthmus in my exile.:)

[yeetngreet]

RIP Scamtheon and all that joocy 2013 drama.

Vanguard was fun tho

[dspity]

I chatted with Brad about Pantheon about 2 weeks ago. Very sad to hear about this. He wasnt a perfect guy, but he made a huge impact on so many. He'll be missed but never forgotten.

[Swish]

PAX East 2018. I am at the Pantheon booth chatting to a dev when he mentions Brad and gestures toward the back. Lo and behold there stood Brad McQuaid, one of the creators of my favorite game of all time. I shook his hand and introduced myself before gushing out my love for EQ. Brad told the other dev that a spot had opened up later that afternoon to play the Alpha and told me to come back to the booth at 3.

Later when I returned I expected to be thrown into the game to have a look around and give them my feedback. I found the dev I had been talking to earlier and he informed me "Brad will be right back. He wanted to play alongside you personally." Brad returned, put on a headset, and proceeded to run a dungeon with me as Aradune followed by more EQ/Pantheon talk.

RIP

pras, that must have been epic

[entruil]

... sadness... Rest In Pixels...

Custom blue content memorial grounds imo

[Bisonzabi]

So what did he die from? Drug overdose?

Fuck. This is like Carrie Fisher all over again. Star Wars and EverQuest, without a doubt, has had a bigger impact on who I am today than almost anything else. Hope his family is okay.

Yeah both had a history with heavy drugs

[Bisonzabi]

Did he drop any good loot?

Skooma