Brad McQuaid, also known as Aradune in the gaming community, has unfortunately passed away in his home at the age of 51.
I never even played any EverQuest games in my life, yet I know that Brad is such an important figure in that franchise. Hell, he’s an important figure in the MMO scene. A gaming giant, an ambitious man that has worked on multiple exemplary titles during his life. Brad was the Vice President of Premium Games at Sony Online Entertainment. Not only that, but this man was also a Chief Creative Officer. In recent years, he mostly worked on the upcoming fantasy MMORPG, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen.
This is a man that made sure games were enjoyable. He poured an insane amount of time and effort into his projects. The goal was to give something that players would immerse and lose themselves in. EverQuest, EverQuest 2, PlanetSide, Star Wars: Galaxies. All titles he helped create.
Image credit: Brad’s Instagram page
I found out about this tragic news via a Reddit thread. Just take a peek at the comments. As you can see, this man-made excellent MMOs. Ones that changed entire lives and provided countless hours of quality entertainment. It’s sad to see him go at such a young age. Brad McQuaid was only 51. There was still so much for him to do.
Our deepest condolences to his family and his co-workers. May you rest in peace Aradune.
