EL33TONLINE: News tag archive: richardgarriott

Last year, Richard Garriott (of Ultima, Tabula Rasa and space exploration fame) left massively multiplayer online game developer, NCsoft after he touched down from his trip to space to focus on other ventures. This seems to only be the first half of the story.

After the revelation yesterday that Garriott has filed a lawsuit yesterday in the Texas Western District Court, it appears as though he (as the plaintiff) is seeking $24 million from his former employer, NCsoft, accusing the company of fraud.

From Garriott’s complaint:

Post continues, click to read more…

Richard Garriott, Ultima’s Lord British and founder of legendary (now defunct) development company, Origin, spoke to BBC News recently (amongst other developer luminaries) and revealed his desire to get back into game development, after he announced his resignation last year from massively multiplayer online game developer, NCsoft. Garriott said:

“After 25 years at Origin, the last thing I wanted to make was yet another medieval fantasy game. Now, after a very interesting break, I’m keen to get back into the fray and work on a new game. Probably medieval fantasy and probably online; there’s something very powerful about getting people together.”

Garriott, you’ll remember, spent almost two weeks in space aboard the International Space Station orbiting Earth. Upon his return, he announced his resignation from the troubled NCsoft. Two weeks later it was announced that the last game Garriott worked on, Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, would be shut down on February 28th of this year.

His continued interest in space and his resignation fuelled speculation that Garriott was to move on to other ventures, but this latest announcement has confirmed his continuing desire to work in the space of game development. Good for him!

The embattled massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG), Tabula Rasa, developed by NCsoft and celebrity game developer Richard Garriott, is set to shut down early next year.

The game, the full title of which is Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, was designed as a counter-point to the current crop of MMORPGs at the time, attempting to provide an alternative to the enormous World of Warcraft, as well as offer a type of MMOG gameplay that differed to the heavy Tolkien-esque fantasy elements and settings covered in the deluge of other games available, instead presenting a sci-fi world that had obvious repercussions on gameplay and how you approached the game’s challenges.

After Richard Garriott himself announced his resignation from NCsoft a week ago, following his 10-day trip into space, all of which has followed troubling times for NCsoft, the future of Tabula Rasa never looked too good, despite Garriott’s best assurances and confidence in the team.

On January 10th, subscription fees for Tabula Rasa will be waived and on February 28th 2009, the game will cease operation. Despite the imminent closure of the game, the developers assured current players; “We’ll be doing some really fun things in Tabula Rasa, and we plan to make staying on a little longer worth your while.” Head over to the official site to read the community post.

Richard Garriott, Lord/General British, creator of the Ultima series and founder of Origin, has announced his plans to leave his current development home of online game developer NCsoft to pursue other interests.

The news was announced on the official Tabula Rasa site, Garriott’s latest game and massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG). The decision was conceived after he returned from his trip to space - an event that is sure to put some perspective on one’s life. From the site:

“Many of you probably wonder what my plans are, now that I have achieved the lifelong dream of going to space. Well, that unforgettable experience has sparked some new interests that I would like to devote my time and resources to. As such, I am leaving NCsoft to pursue those interests.”

Garriott leaves the embattled NCsoft after what he calls a “rough launch” for Tabula Rasa, but it seems he remains confident in the future of the game and the company. It is unknown at this time what exactly his further interests may be, but the fact that he is an investor in a space tourism company may give some clues.

Twelve days after the legendary game designer, Richard Garriott, rocketed off into space as a space tourist, he has returned safely from his trip, after living in the International Space Station for ten days. Garriott commented shortly after the return trip:

“What a great ride that was. This is obviously a pinnacle experience. I’m looking forward to some fresh food and to calling my loved ones. I’ve got my father here, but I’ve got other family back home I want to get a hold of.”

Garriott and the crew of Soyuz TMA-12 landed safely in Kazakhstan early last Friday. Head of Russian space agency Roskosmos, Anatoly Perminov, commented on the return journey, saying, “I can’t recall a more ideal landing.”

With this trip, Garriott became the sixth space tourist and the second person to ever follow a parent up into space, the first being Oleg Kononenko, who accompanied Garriott on the journey.

In Tabular Rasa news - the latest game Garriott has been involved with - there’s a new update for the game.

Source: Associated Press

The famed Ultima creator and, more recently, head of development for Tabula Rasa, has blasted off into space, becoming the world’s sixth civilian space tourist.

Richard Garriott, known to his fans as Lord British, has paid approximately £15 million, or $30 million, for the privilege of launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft. Garriott is to spend ten days aboard the International Space Station and will also be conducting experiments on behalf of, and sponsored by, various companies who have apparently contributed a significant amount towards the funding of the trip.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Garriott’s father, Owen Garriott, was a NASA astronaut and spent 60 days on a US space station in 1973. Hit the link for a video interview with Mr. British on the BBC’s site.