EverQuest: The Serpent's Spine Interview, Part One

RPG Vault has kicked up the first portion of a new interview with Sony Online's David Ford about their upcoming EverQuest: The Serpent's Spine expansion pack.
Q: To what extent are you aiming at high- vs. mid- and low-level characters, and at acquisition vs. retention? To what degree is the content oriented towards group vs. solo play?

A: To specifically answer the portion of your question about group versus solo content, EverQuest has always and likely will always be founded on the group, be it a single group of players or multiple groups of players working together to defeat an encounter. That being said, there was a definite push with The Serpent's Spine to provide content for smaller groups of players, and even some solo content - although the topic of solo is a sticky one because in EverQuest, an encounter that one player can solo might destroy another based on differences in class, level, gear, etc.

In terms of aiming the expansion towards retention or acquisition, I would say that we are always mindful that our first responsibility is to those players who are currently playing the game. Whenever we discuss a change or addition to the game we're always careful to consider the needs of our current customers and try to give them what they need and want. That being said, I think that this expansion is a pretty unique opportunity for someone to jump into EverQuest. With a new race and a new content path, it should be easier than ever for someone new to the game to get started.