Jeffrey Butler

Player of games. EverQuest, Vanguard, and EQNext alum. Chief Product Officer at AVALON. Hell bent to rebuild the foundations of MMOs:

[AVALON @AVALON]

At Avalon we are building "Real-time creating" - the ability to generate gameplay ready persistent worlds prompted from text.

While others are building real-time video world models, Avalon is building real-time world generation inside a fully playable, persistent multiplayer engine.

Internally running at 3840×2180 at 60 FPS.

Built on Unreal Engine. Multiplayer by default. Persistent by default. Gameplay-ready by default.

This is not a video latent replay.
Not a simulation of interaction.
It is a real 3D world with physics, logic, and authoritative multiplayer state.

Avalon is trained on proprietary Avalon interaction data and powered by a hybrid system that combines language understanding, 3D model generation, procedural systems, and structured gameplay logic synthesis.

Players can walk through a live world and generate environments, assets, mechanics, and entirely new gameplay modes using natural language.

We accomplish this through a combination of 3D model generation, game logic generation based on our proprietary systems, and AI driven world creation.

While other players are inside it.

Changes persist instantly.
State is synchronized in real time.
Creation happens inside the world, not outside of it.

Describe a biome.
Spawn a civilization.
Create a survival mode.
Build a dungeon crawler.
Launch a new game inside the world.

Avalon interprets intent and integrates it directly into the live multiplayer environment.
This is not a world model predicting video.

This is a gameplay engine that understands language.
If you can describe it, you can build it.
And others can walk into it instantly.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

@danf6975 I certainly do. I probably have a box or two of my own hiding somewhere.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

Not sure, I don't think there is any visibility now. (I have not dug around though)

[#NotADoomer_FromAnywhere Shark 🏀 @sharkiowa]

@larrygbishop @JButlerDev at the peak, that i recall THJ had over 4500 players on at one time. How many players are actively playing EQ?

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

Hey Ruly, added ya.

Thanks for your work on THJ!

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

Well said. I suspect many THJ players maintain(ed) active subs.

[Nibori @TheRealNibori]

THJ was amazing. Daybreak had an opportunity to do something special that would bring new and old players back into the game. I also unsubscribed all 4 of my accounts. After playing on and off since 1999 it’s also time for me to move on from my favorite game of all time. RIP 🪦

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

In what should come as a surprise to no one, I have one of the oldest EverQuest accounts in existence. Today I have cancelled that account and my other two All-Access Daybreak passes. Time for me to close this box of memories and stick it in the attic.

My sincere thanks to the EQ emulator The Heroes Journey developers and community, who renewed my love for the game I was honored to work on.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

Precisely.

At DragonCon, Dave Arneson asked if EverQuest was inspired by D&D. My answer: Absolutely. Nearly every game is—each of us builds on what came before.

[Cohh Carnage @CohhCarnage]

This is actually insane.

ALL of game dev is ITERATIVE. The idea that NINTENDO has somehow been some golden child company and ONLY used mechanics they came up with (and didn't iterate off others) is insane.

What a disgusting and corporate direction to take gaming. Shame on them.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

It is great to see @Broken_Stoic building in the game! We had a blast sharing building tips and techniques today with Stoic and Chris from @AstrofishGames!

[AVALON @AVALON]

We’re so proud to announce that our first creator has stepped into AVALON!

Seeing our community experience AVALON firsthand has been incredibly rewarding, and we can’t wait to welcome more of you inside.

Check out the arena @Broken_Stoic built on his very first try using our tools.

To be the first to catch more sneaks and exclusive updates, join our Discord.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

@DeemosTech Count me in.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

@Ishubelsenpaii Same here, though I did skip through to some of the more significant scenes in the next seasons. I wanted to see Matt fight Gawyn and Galad, the blowing of the Horn of Valere, etc.

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

Wheel of Time on Amazon has been cancelled. Does this make you sad, or sad that it lasted 3 seasons?

I have my own perspective, but I am curious about the general gamer take on the series (without sparking debate).

[Jeffrey Butler @JButlerDev]

A Player-Owned Economy should have been a reality in MMOs long ago. I argued for it back in the days of EverQuest, and was overruled by the suits who were afraid of digital assets having an acknowledged value.

But they did and do have value. Players have exchanged them outside the terms of service for more than 25 years. Now is the time to stop relying on black market websites and "15-minute delivery of WoW gold! No scam!!!" bullshit.

[Sean Pinnock @SeanPinnock]

AVALON will have a robust virtual economy but it’s only possible if gamers actually want to own our assets.

That’s why our top priority is building a game that’s genuinely fun to play and create in.

After all, who’d hold assets for a game no one is playing?

I’m excited for you all to see what we’ve got cooking!

[AVALON @AVALON]

In the darkest corners of the land, Goblongs lurk and search for new prey.

Their jagged teeth stained with the rot of old vegetables and every scar, a trophy of violence.

When you cross their paths, which skills will you use to silence their relentless pursuit?

[AVALON @AVALON]

Marked by rust and ruin, an AVALON dungeon is no place of refuge.

Within its dark depths lie forgotten horrors…

The way out is a mystery lost to time ⏳

[AVALON @AVALON]

Beyond the stream’s edge,

A living world with endless possibilities begins to unfold.

Are you ready for what AVALON has in store?

Join our Discord and be the first to get updates.

[AVALON @AVALON]

AVALON is where dreams are crafted and new realities forged.

The land is quiet now, but not for long 👀

[Sean Pinnock @SeanPinnock]

I’m insanely proud of what the AVALON team is building.

Watching creators easily bring fun concepts to life like shifting dungeon mazes and floating crystalline taverns is incredibly gratifying.

This is exactly what we’ve been building towards.

There’s still work to be done, but we’ve definitely made something special. Can’t wait for you all to play!

[AVALON @AVALON]

Your starter weapons will be anything but basic.

Whether you prefer polished steel or long-distance destruction…

These are just a few of your deadly options ⚔️

Join our Discord community to see even more cool game features.

[AVALON @AVALON]

Artistic vision changes everything!

Check out AVALON’s sculpted terrains and the art team’s beautiful color paintover concepts.

Once our color work is fully implemented, it’ll be a world so beautiful, you’ll forget it’s a game.

[Sean Pinnock @SeanPinnock]

Take-Two shutting down a modder’s playable GTA 6 map shows how powerful UGC can be.

But the real threat? Ignoring what UGC represents:

Mods, custom assets and fan expansions highlight gaps devs miss, mechanics players prefer and features the community love.

It’s the best player feedback we could ask for.