Holly Longdale exits Darkpaw Games, bidding farewell to EverQuest and EverQuest II

Daybreak Games may have spun into separate studios, but it’s still Daybreak, and that means it’s still burying its surprise news on a Friday evening. Holly Longdale, head of the recently formed Daybreak sub-unit Darkpaw Games and long-time producer of both EverQuest and EverQuest II, announced this evening that she is departing the company for what she calls a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that [she] owe[s] to all the players and developers of EverQuest and EverQuest II.” She doesn’t detail how these elements are connected, however, but she does say she will remain in the world as a player from this point onward.

Technical director Jennifer Chan has been named as Longdale’s replacement, having worked alongside her for the past five years. Longdale also repeatedly states that the franchise and these titles are in good hands, although veteran players will no doubt be both surprised and somewhat worried over the sudden departure. How this ties into her promises of a future for EverQuest remains to be seen.