EverQuest Next's controller-friendly approach has led many to question when the game will be available for consoles. Like fellow SOE games DC Universe Online and PlanetSide 2, two other MMOs which will be available on the PS4, many believe it's just a (short) matter of time before the just-announced yet highly anticipated next-gen MMORPG gets its console counterpart. Unfortunately, that announcement may not come as quickly as one would hope.
Speaking to Shack News, franchise director Dave Georgeson explained the team first wants to create a "kickass" PC version before exploring additional platforms.
“We need to make sure that it’s a kickass game on PC before we do anything else,” he said. “We’re going to nail down all our questions and design and everything like that so that it’s a really good game. Then we’ll talk about other platforms.”
As for the game's controller-friendly setup, Georgeson said that was more of an accident than intentional design.
“It was never our intent to make a controller friendly game,” he said. “But when we decided to minimize the number of buttons you can use to just one hotbar, it almost accidentally becomes controller friendly. That’ll be a cool thing if and when we get to [a PS4 version]. The fact that it doubles for controllers is just a bonus.”
For now, SOE is working to make EverQuest Next playable on PCs with "much lower system specs." The goal, he says, is to "allow people with 4 or 5 year old machines to be able to play."
