A Message from Holly “Windstalker” Longdale

Greetings Norrathians,

It is time to bid ye all a heartfelt fond farewell.

I will be taking my leave from Darkpaw Games for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I owe to all the players and developers of EverQuest and EverQuest II.

From my first experience at EverQuest’s launch as a dark elf wizard trying to leave Neriak for two hours, to joining the EverQuest and EverQuest II teams, my life has been a thrill and a blessing. For more than a decade, I’ve felt honored and thankful to have been a part of the lives of so many players and our amazing family of developers.

I’ve seen these games grow and evolve for so many years. I took part in the first-ever instanced content and forging new ground with Lost Dungeons of Norrath. I had the honor of working with Brad “Aradune” McQuaid, John Smedley, and a great number of talented people.

Both games have grown through the rise of nostalgia with progression servers in ways we didn’t expect. Above all, our community is ever-present, guiding and informing us, and helping us make better choices.

Our success as a franchise is built upon the love of those who live in Norrath. I can’t thank every one of you enough for being part of this magical life. I will miss you, but I won’t be far away!

My passion and love for EverQuest and EverQuest II is unending. Even though I am leaving Darkpaw Games as a producer for now, I will remain part of the community as a player.

For now, our intrepid Franchise Technical Director and EQ veteran Jennifer Chan will take hold of the reigns with gusto and head up the studio. She has been my leadership partner for over 5 years and excels at keeping us on track, improving our technology, and making sure everything gets done as smoothly as possible.

I promise you that the game and teams are in more-than-capable hands.

Rest assured, Norrath will continue to grow and prosper as I hope you all will.

Much love to one and all, forever. And, as always, I’ll see you in game,



Holly “Windstalker” Longdale

Fair well and best wishes!

Good luck in your future endeavors.

All the best Holly. Thank you for everything you've done for the community.

Good luck to you! Wish you the best

Bye.

If it's that big of a deal you can remove the nagafen AoC.

Can I have your stuff?
I don't mean in-game, I mean whatever you have at the DPG campus.
Seriously, best of luck to you Holly.

Fair winds and following seas, Holly.

Thank you for all you have done. As a returning player it is sad to see you leave. Good luck in the future and hopefully see you in game.

I wish you well in your endeavors. I have been told you were an honorable person who actually fought for players issues. I have been playing for 19 years non stop and those who care quit long ago except for an exceptional few. Some developers and even backend people do not realize sometimes the impact the game or even the interactions of them just getting on and saying "Hey we are still here and we like that you play it!" means

Best wishes Holly!

Thanks for your steady hand in steering the ship during the storms (tough years).

Best of fortunes to you both in and outside of Norrath. Your guidance will certainly be missed.

- Coagagin

Good fortune!

Good luck! Hopefully it'll be @ Visionary Realms, would love to see you working on Pantheon!

New direction all around, hopefully this initiative brings new life.

Best wishes Windstalker, may you find the cool breezes you seek.

Best of luck, and I hope that is truly the case, they will be lucky to have you on the team if so.

I know Jennifer Chan will do her best, but I can't help feeling like the last few healthy rats are jumping off the sinking ship while they can still swim.

I hope my gut feelings are wrong.

Nicely phrased in a very enigmatic way. Does this mean that more Everquest shirts in larger sizes will be made available? Or what? Well put, and folks will have lots of fun speculating.