EverQuest Lead Designer Travis “Rashere” McGeathy will be leaving the EQ team at the end of this month. Taking over for him will be Ryan “Rytan” Barker. Here is his goodbye message from the EQ Dev Blog:

It’s amazing how fast time can pass. It feels like just a few days ago when I first walked through the doors here but now, more than 5 years later, it’s time for me to move on. I’ll be leaving SOE at the end of the month and wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the EverQuest players, for your dedication and friendship over the years.

[Editors Note: We have confirmed that Travis will be joining the team at 38 Studios.  We'll have more details shortly]

Looking back over everything that EverQuest has done in the last 5 years is enough to make my head swim, but the one constant throughout that time has always been the fans. Between fan faires, community summits, and the forums, I’ve met more dedicated and knowledgeable players than I could ever count and many of you have become good friends. That level of interaction with players is something you don’t often get to experience in this industry and I’m certainly going to miss it.

EverQuest has always been a pioneer in the MMO industry and it has been a distinct honor to be part of that legacy and work with the wonderful team behind the game. I leave EverQuest in the very capable hands of Ryan “Rytan” Barker and I have no doubt that he’ll continue its success long into the future.

Thanks you all for the great memories and I hope to run into everyone again in the future.

Travis “Rashere” McGeathy
Lead Designer
EverQuest