John Smedley
Now
Founder & CEO of Distinct Possibility Studios — its open-world persistent shooter Reaper Actual entered Steam early access in May 2026
As of 2026-05-29 · source ↗
The executive who green-lit and ran more online worlds than anyone: co-founder of Verant Interactive, executive producer of EverQuest, and president of Sony Online Entertainment for its entire run — EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, PlanetSide, DC Universe Online, H1Z1. After heading Amazon's San Diego studio, he founded Distinct Possibility Studios, whose Reaper Actual reached early access in 2026.
Fifteen years at the helm of SOE made him the genre's most prolific world-shipper — the catalog under his watch reads like a history of the MMORPG's first act.— MMOlist Hall of Fame citation
Career
- Reaper Actual2021–Founder & CEO, Distinct Possibility Studios
- Amazon Games2017–2023Studio head, Amazon Games San Diego
- Sony Online Entertainment1998–2015President, Sony Online Entertainment / CEO, Daybreak
- EverQuest1996–2000Co-founder of Verant Interactive — executive producer
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