All Stories Tagged: Portalarium

Richard Garriott's crowdfunded game Shroud of the Avatar has released its first test build to backers, letting them create a character and explore a town.

Richard Garriott has released a video of the Shroud of the Avatar prototype he recently showed at the Rooster Teeth expo.

Yes, yes, people really are quite keen to see a new RPG from Ultima creator Richard 'Lord British' Garriott de Cayeux. Kickstarter crowdfunding for his new game, Shroud of the Avatar, wrapped up on Sunday just short of $2 million, and was pushed over that mark by direct pledges outside Kickstarter. As developer Portalarium originally sought only one million dollars, all sorts of futures have been bunged in through stretch goals.

It seems people are quite keen to play a new RPG from Richard Garriott, creator of the hallowed Ultima series. As Shroud of the Avatar races towards its crowdfunding goal of $1 million, his studio has dropped more information on the various multiplayer options it'll offer. They range from barely online, just seeing other players' effect on the persistent world, to essentially an MMO. Or hey, just play offline.

Richard Garriott is not the first great designer to turn to Kickstarter as a means to fund his work. But while Shroud of the Avatar, his long-awaited return to game design, directly references the classic Ultima series, Garriott is banking on more than nostalgia.

Having been involved in role-playing games for so many years, starting with the Ultima games, Richard Garriott is quite qualified to discuss what is wrong with the genre. And one of the biggest mistakes being made by MMOs today is spending so much time and money on the game without knowing if the audience will accept it.

Richard Garriott's "Ultimate RPG" has been revealed, a spiritual successor to the Ultima series titled Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. It's currently seeking crowd-funding via Kickstarter.

Richard Garriott's first social game, Ultimate Collector, will be published by Zynga on Facebook.

Richard Garriott's company Portalarium has secured funding for two upcoming projects: a browser and mobile game called "Ultimate Collector," and his social RPG "New Britannia."