# Origin Systems - House: Developer - Date: 1983–2004 - Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/houses/origin-systems/ > The Garriott family's Texas studio, born in a Houston garage in 1983, that made the Ultima series and Wing Commander, gave the CRPG a conscience with the Avatar, and launched Ultima Online. Its motto: 'We Create Worlds.' **Why it matters:** Origin shaped the computer role-playing game more than almost any other studio, from the moral quest of Ultima IV to the simulated world of Ultima VII and the first mass-market graphical MMORPG, and trained a generation of Austin developers. ## Quick answers **What was Origin Systems?** The Garriott family's Texas studio, born in a Houston garage in 1983, that made the Ultima series and Wing Commander, gave the CRPG a conscience with the Avatar, and launched Ultima Online. Its motto: 'We Create Worlds.' **When was Origin Systems founded?** Origin Systems was founded in 1983 and was based in Austin, Texas (founded in Houston); it closed in 2004. **Who founded Origin Systems?** Richard Garriott. **What is Origin Systems known for?** Ultima III: Exodus, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Ultima VII: The Black Gate, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss and Ultima Online. **What happened to Origin Systems?** Acquired by Electronic Arts in September 1992 for about $35 million in stock; disbanded by EA in February 2004. ## History By 1983 [Richard Garriott](https://www.lanternhall.org/makers/richard-garriott/) had written [Akalabeth: World of Doom](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/akalabeth/) and the first two *Ultima* games, but he had trouble collecting royalties from his publishers; a dispute over the IBM PC port of *Ultima II* was the final straw. That March he founded Origin Systems with his brother Robert, a businessman, their father, the astronaut Owen Garriott, and programmer Chuck Bueche. The company started in the family garage in Houston. Its first game was [Ultima III: Exodus](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/ultima-iii-exodus/), released on August 23, 1983, with tactical party combat and a musical score. Selling computer software rather than console cartridges, Origin came through the video game crash of that year intact. Origin's next Ultima changed the genre. [Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/ultima-iv/) (September 16, 1985) removed the villain and asked players to become a moral exemplar by practicing eight virtues. The company also published games by other designers, including *Moebius*, *Autoduel* (1985) and *Ogre* (1986), the last two adapted from [Steve Jackson Games](https://www.lanternhall.org/houses/steve-jackson-games/)' tabletop titles. For some years it ran offices in both New Hampshire and Austin, and by 1988 had about 50 staff between them; Austin became its permanent home. In 1990 Chris Roberts's space-combat game *Wing Commander* became a second franchise to rival Ultima. The company's motto, "We Create Worlds," was no exaggeration. The early 1990s were Origin's peak. It published Blue Sky Productions' [Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/ultima-underworld/) (March 1992), a first-person dungeon in continuous 3D, and Garriott's [Ultima VII: The Black Gate](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/ultima-vii/) (April 1992), whose simulated world let players bake bread and move every object. In September 1992 [Electronic Arts](https://www.lanternhall.org/houses/electronic-arts/) bought the company for about $35 million in stock. Under EA it grew past 300 employees, producing *Wing Commander III* with full-motion video, *System Shock* (1994) with Looking Glass, and the Crusader games. Then Origin bet on the internet. [Ultima Online](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/ultima-online/), launched with EA on September 24, 1997, offered a persistent Britannia split into parallel "shards" for thousands of players, and reached about 100,000 subscribers within six months. Designers such as [Raph Koster](https://www.lanternhall.org/makers/raph-koster/) and [Starr Long](https://www.lanternhall.org/makers/starr-long/) built its player-driven economy; its beta test produced the [The Assassination of Lord British](https://www.lanternhall.org/culture/lord-british-assassination/). EA decided Origin should become an online-only studio after *Ultima IX: Ascension* (1999). That game's poor reception, and EA's cancellation of new projects including *Ultima Online 2*, led Garriott to leave in 2000. Origin continued mainly to support Ultima Online until EA disbanded it in February 2004. ## Notable work The Ultima series from *Exodus* to *Ascension*, the Worlds of Ultima spin-offs, Ultima Underworld, Wing Commander and *Privateer*, *System Shock*, *Crusader: No Remorse*, and Ultima Online. ## Legacy Origin's influence runs through the whole history of computer role-playing games. Ultima IV made ethics a game mechanic; Ultima VII and Underworld pioneered the simulated world that [The Elder Scrolls](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/the-elder-scrolls-arena/) and immersive sims would pursue; Ultima Online proved the market for the graphical [MMORPGs](https://www.lanternhall.org/atlas/mmorpg/) before [EverQuest](https://www.lanternhall.org/works/everquest/). Its alumni went on to lead studios across Austin and the industry, from Warren Spector's *Deus Ex* to Chris Roberts's *Star Citizen*. Ultima Online, which outlived its maker, is still running under EA's Broadsword studio. ## Facts - The Garriotts founded Origin partly because of trouble collecting money owed to Richard for games released by other publishers. - Its first release was Ultima III: Exodus, on August 23, 1983, developed in the family's Houston garage. - Because it sold computer games rather than console cartridges, Origin came through the 1983 video game crash. - By 1988 it had 15 developers in Austin and another 35 employees in New Hampshire. - Origin published computer versions of Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars (Autoduel, 1985) and Ogre (1986). - EA bought Origin in September 1992 for $35 million in stock; Origin then had about $13 million in annual revenue. - By 1996 Origin had more than 300 employees; after Ultima Online, EA decided it would become an online-only studio. ## Sources and further reading - [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_Systems) - [Wikipedia: Ultima (series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_(series)) - [Wikipedia: Richard Garriott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Garriott) --- From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.