Garriott to build a New Britannia

Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima and Ultima Online, has spoken of his desire to rebuild his virtual world after being disappointed at the direction in which EA has taken Old Britannia since he left Origin Systems in 2000.

In a lengthy post on Facebook, the self-styled Lord British writes: "Elves and ninjas have been added [to Ultima Online], things I specifically had banned. This is only a small example of why and how Ultima has drifted away from Richard Garriott, but I have not drifted away from Ultima. Over-used, irrelevant and re-used RPG elements are not the essence of my Ultimate RPG."

While he claims some of EA's higher-ups are open to the prospect of him returning to Ultima's Old Britannia, he does not expect it to happen - though he suggests that "player pressure could help." Instead, he says, "I must plan to rebuild in a New Britannia…it will mean I have more work to do (and you will have to wait longer to see that new world).

"You will have customised avatar homesteads and real roles to play in a deep, beautifully realised highly interactive virtual world. It will have virtues and the hero's journey reflected back to the player. It will have the best of synchronous and asynchronous features in use. Fiction will support your arrival from earth into this new world."

Garriott will be able to take his time, following the decision of a US appeals court last month which upheld his victory over former employer NCSoft, raising his award to $32 million.

Source: Facebook