Ultima Online

1997 · RPG · PC

Overview

Ultima Online (1997) is Origin's online role-playing world, produced by Richard Garriott, with skills instead of levels, player housing and open player-versus-player combat.

Deep Dive

Characters improve skills rather than gaining levels or classes, build and keep houses, and craft goods for an economy run by players. At launch any player could attack any other; the 2000 Renaissance expansion split the world into Trammel, where fighting was by consent, and Felucca, where it was not.

Developer Story

Garriott produced it, Starr Long directed and Raph Koster led the design, aiming to give players as much freedom as possible. It launched on 24 September 1997 and won Online Game of the Year at the first Interactive Achievement Awards.

Did You Know?

During the 1997 beta, a player called Rainz killed Lord British, Garriott's own character, with a fire field spell because his invulnerability had not been reset after a crash.
It reached about 100,000 subscribers within six months and peaked at around 250,000 in 2003.