Brad McQuaid is a computer game designer who was one of the original designers of EverQuest, making him a major name in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) industry.

Biography

McQuaid entered the video game industry in 1989, participating in the creation of the game WarWizard. During a time when Ultima Online was the most famous name in online fantasy games, Brad McQuaid's role in the production and release of the future encumbant EverQuest by Verant Interactive put his name, as well as his character name, Aradune Mithara into the public consciousness.

After Sony Online Entertainment acquired Verant Interactive, Brad McQuaid was promoted to Vice President of Premium Games and Chief Creative Officer. Despite what seemed like a blessing, he found the lack of hands-on influence over the game upsetting. He set aside his fabled place upon Norrath, and created Sigil Games with a list of other familiar names in the industry.

As the MMORPG industry readies itself for the launch of highly anticipated titles, such as World of Warcraft and the long-overdue EverQuest II, Brad McQuaid and Sigil Games announced their own title to compete: Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Despite opposition from two powerful names in the gaming industry, many support Brad McQuaid and eagerly wait to see if he can raise the bar once again.

Aradune Mithara

Aradune Mithara is the alias McQuaid uses for his player characters in MUDs and MMORPGs and it is also the name of a fictional character in the MMORPGs he has designed.

In an IRC interview, McQuaid revealed that Aradune was a character from a series of books he started writing in his teens. He first used the name as his pseudonym in MUDs and then later for his test character in the development of EverQuest. Early screenshots often featured Aradune and players began to associate the name with him.

In the lore of EverQuest, the various deities of the Norrathian pantheon often choose a mortal being as their avatar. Aradune Mithara was a Human Ranger chosen to be the Avatar of Storms, under the god Karana. He was noted to wear shining green armor, and wielding a legendary two handed sword known as the Fiery Avenger. Despite McQuaid having left Sony Online Entertainment, the memory of his character remains, as does the jestful graffiti of the sewers of the city of Qeynos, stating simply, "Aradune is stinky".

Now the president of Sigil Games, McQuaid continues to use the name Aradune Mithara as his character's name and in the fiction of his new MMORPG, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

External link

• Sigil Games: Brad McQuaid (http://www.sigilgames.com/000003.php)
• Sigil Chat (http://www.sigilgames.com/Sigil_Chat.html) in which McQuaid explains the origin of the name "Aradune Mithara"