[Update: added complaint details, Garriott says he was forced out of NCsoft]

Ultima and Tabula Rasa creator Richard Garriott is suing former employer NCsoft for $24 million.

According to a May 5 filing with the Texas Western District Court, Garriott, the plaintiff, is accusing NCsoft of fraud, reports Kotaku.

Garriott announced plans to leave NCsoft late last year to pursue “new interests” having just returned from a trip to the International Space Station.

Aside from creating the Ultima series and Tabula Rasa, Garriott is also the founder of Origin Systems and Destination Games (now NCsoft Austin).

Update: Uncovered by GamePolitics, Garriott’s complaint alleges breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation on the part of NCsoft. According to the Ultima creator he was actually forced out of NCsoft and manipulated into cashing out stock options.

“In... November 2008, Chris Chung, President of NCSoft's North American operations, informed Mr. Garriott that NCSoft has decided to “part company.” Although Mr. Garriott objected to his dismissal, Mr. Chung insisted that the decision was final - Mr. Garriott had to go,” reads the complaint.

“As Mr. Garriott prepared to leave NCSoft, however, Mr. Garriott learned that NCsoft had internally re-characterised his termination by Mr. Chung as a "voluntary" resignation... This mischaracterisation had profound and detrimental effects on Mr. Garriott's stock options: if NCsoft terminated Mr. Garriott's employment (which it did) then the options - worth tens of millions of dollars - would remain in effect until 2011; but if Mr. Garriott resigned voluntarily (which he did not), then NCsoft might have terminated those options... within ninety days of his departure... NCsoft forced Mr. Garriott into a Hobson's choice of exercising his options... and forced him to sell into one of the worst equity markets in modern history.”

Garriott says he has suffered "more than $27,000,000 in actual damages."

NCsoft declined to comment on the report when contacted by Edge.