Origin Systems

Origin Systems, Inc.

"We Create Worlds"
Company logo during their final years

Type| Subsidiary
Industry| Video games
Fate| Acquired by Electronic Arts, and dissolved
Successor| Destination Games
Founded| March 4, 1983; 43 years ago (1983-03-04) in Houston, Texas, U.S.
Founders|

* Richard Garriott
* Robert Garriott
* Owen Garriott

Defunct| February 2004; 22 years ago (2004-02)
Headquarters| Austin, Texas, U.S.
Products| Ultima series
Wing Commander series
Crusader series
Strike Commander
System Shock
Wings of Glory
Parent| Electronic Arts (1992–2004)

Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott, his brother Robert and their father Owen. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres of video games, such as the Ultima and Wing Commander series. The company was purchased by Electronic Arts in 1992.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Notable employees
* 3 List of games
* 3.1 Canceled
* 4 References

## History

Brothers Richard and Robert Garriott, their astronaut-engineer father Owen, and programmer Chuck Bueche founded Origin Systems in 1983 because of the trouble they had collecting money owed to Richard for his games released by other companies.[1][2] Origin was initially based in the Garriotts' garage in Houston, Texas.[3] The company's first game was Software:Ultima III: Exodus; because of Ultima's established reputation and the fact that the company's games were released on computers and not consoles, Origin survived the video-game crash of 1983 which affected console game developers in North America. It published many non-Ultima games, and Richard Garriott claimed that he received the same royalty rate as other developers.[4]

By 1988, Origin had 15 developers in Austin, Texas, and another 35 employees in New Hampshire.[4] By 1989 they had 50 employees between their New Hampshire and Texas offices.[5] By 1992, Origin Systems had sold more than 1.5 million software units worldwide.[6]

In September 1992, Electronic Arts acquired the company[7][8] for $35 million in stock, despite a dispute between the two companies over EA's 1987 game Deathlord. Origin, with about $13 million in annual revenue, stated that it had considered an IPO before agreeing to the deal.[9]

By 1996, Origin had expanded to more than 300 employees, most of whom were divided among small, largely autonomous development teams.[10] In 1997, Origin released one of the earliest graphical MMORPGs, Ultima Online. After this title, Electronic Arts decided that Origin would become an online-only company after the completion of Software:Ultima IX: Ascension in 1999. However, within a year's time, in part due to Ultima IX's poor reception,[11] EA canceled all of Origin's new development projects, including Ultima Online 2, Privateer Online, and Harry Potter Online. Richard Garriott left Origin shortly after and founded Destination Games in 2000.

In later years, Origin mainly existed to support and expand Ultima Online and to develop further online games based on the Ultima franchise such as Software:Ultima X: Odyssey, originally to be released in 2004 but later canceled. In February 2004, the studio was disbanded by Electronic Arts. The Longbow series of simulation games was developed at Origin and published under the Jane's Combat Simulations brand of Electronic Arts. A follow-on project, Jane's A-10, was under development when the project was canceled in late 1998 and the team moved to other projects.

## Notable employees

The 1980s version of the Origin Systems logo The 1990s version of the Origin Systems logo

Origin employed many young game developers over its tenure who have since gone on to leading roles in numerous game development companies, especially in Austin.

Among its prominent employees were (alphabetically by surname):

* Raymond Benson – Writer, Audio (1992–1993)
* Was head writer on Software:Ultima VII: The Black Gate, contributed some writing to Software:Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, and went on to work as a game designer for MicroProse and Viacom New Media, then later became an official continuation author of the James Bond novels.
* J. Allen Brack – QA Tester (1994–2000)
* Went on to work for Sony Online Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment and co-founded his own development studio Magic Soup Games.[12]
* Tom Chilton – Lead Designer (2001–2003)
* Was lead designer on Software:Ultima Online: Age of Shadows and went on to be a lead designer for Blizzard Entertainment.
* Britt Daniel – Sound Designer (1994)
* Was a sound designer for numerous titles and went on to found the rock band Spoon.
* Ken Demarest – Game Designer, Programmer (1990–1995)
* Created the technical prototype for Ultima Online, directed BioForge, led programming on Ultima VII: The Black Gate and coded on Wing Commander.
* Martin Galway – Sound Designer/Composer, Audio Technician (1991–1994)
* Went on to work at Digital Anvil.
* Richard Garriott – Co-Founder, Game Designer, Programmer (1983–2000)
* Aka "Lord British", creator of Ultima; later co-founded Destination Games, acquired by NCSoft. Co-founded and now works at Portalarium.
* Robert Garriott – Co-Founder, Business (1983–2000)
* Brother of Richard Garriott, co-founded Origin Systems and Destination Games.
* Jeff Hillhouse – Facilities (1983–2004)
* One of the company's first employees who helped grow its early supply chain and facilities operations.
* Raph Koster – Lead Designer (1995–2003)
* Later joined Sony Online Entertainment in Austin developing EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies.
* Scott Kreuser – Supported the entire software roadmap
* Went on to work for Dell Computer as a Worldwide New Product Project Manager.
* Starr Long – QA Lead, Designer (1992–2000)
* Director of Ultima Online, and co-founder of Destination Games.
* Denis Loubet – Artist (1989–2002)
* Was the first artist Origin hired. He did many box cover paintings, manual illustrations, in-game art and animation, and cinematics.
* Mike McShaffry – Lead Developer (1990–1997)
* Later co-founded the other Austin studios and has written and taught on game development theory.
* Sheri Graner Ray – Writer, Designer (1993–1994)
* Went on to work with several major companies including Sony Online Entertainment and Cartoon Network. Also founder of Women in Games International.
* Chris Roberts – Game Designer, Creative Director (1988–1996)
* Creator of the Wing Commander series and Strike Commander. Co-founded the now-defunct Digital Anvil, acquired by Microsoft, creating Starlancer and contributing to Freelancer space simulator games. Went on to produce a number of Hollywood productions, before co-founding and now working at Cloud Imperium Games, creating the crowdfunded space simulator Star Citizen.
* John Romero – Programmer (1987–1988)
* Worked at Origin before co-founding id Software. Later co-founded Ion Storm and a number of other game studios. Co-founded and now works at Romero Games.
* Andrew Sega – Music Composer (1995–1998)
* Aka Necros; was a Software Engineer/Composer who went on to work for Digital Anvil.
* Dallas Snell – Vice President of Product Development / Executive Producer (1985–1996)
* Head of Product Development, Producer or Executive Producer of Origin's titles between 1986 and 1995. Later served as Director of Business Development for NCSoft North America. Co-founded Portalarium and served as Director of Development and Chief Operating Officer.
* Warren Spector – Producer (1989–1996)
* Producer of Software:Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss which was developed by Doug Church and Looking Glass Studios, as well as its sequel, System Shock, Wings of Glory and numerous other titles. He later joined Ion Storm and managed its Austin office, creating Deus Ex. Later co-founded the now-defunct Junction Point Studios, acquired by Disney Interactive. Now works at OtherSide Entertainment as its Studio Director, creating System Shock 3.
* Paul Steed – Artist (1991–1995)
* Was a leading artist on the Wing Commander series and went on to serve as an art lead for id Software on the Quake series.

## List of games

Year  | Title  | Platform(s)

|
|

1983  | Caverns of Callisto | Apple II
Atari 8-bit
Software:Ultima III: Exodus | Apple II
Atari 8-bit
Commodore 64
1985  | MS-DOS
Mac
Software:Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony | Apple II
Software:Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | Apple II
Commodore 64
1986  | AutoDuel | Apple II
Software:Ultima III: Exodus | Amiga
Atari ST
Software:Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony | Commodore 64
Ogre | Apple II
Commodore 64
Ring Quest | Apple II
Software:Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness | Apple II
Commodore 64
MS-DOS
1987  | Software:Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | Atari ST
MS-DOS
1988  | 2400 A.D. | Apple II
MS-DOS
Times of Lore | Apple II
Commodore 64
Software:Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | Amiga
Software:Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | Apple II
1989  | Knights of Legend | Apple II
Commodore 64
Omega | Apple II
Commodore 64
Mac
Space Rogue | Apple II
Commodore 64
Tangled Tales: The Misadventures of a Wizard's Apprentice | Apple II
Commodore 64
MS-DOS
Times of Lore | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | Commodore 64
Commodore 128
MS-DOS
Amiga
Windwalker | Apple II
Commodore 64
1990  | Bad Blood | MS-DOS
Knights of Legend | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | Master System
Software:Ultima VI: The False Prophet | MS-DOS
Commodore 64
Windwalker | Apple IIGS
Atari ST
Mac
Wing Commander | MS-DOS
Wing Commander: The Secret Missions | MS-DOS
Software:Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire | MS-DOS
1991  | Bad Blood | Commodore 64
Times of Lore | NES
Software:Ultima: Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams | MS-DOS
Software:Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi | MS-DOS
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - Speech Accessory Pack | MS-DOS
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - Special Operations 1 | MS-DOS
Wing Commander: The Secret Missions 2 - Crusade | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima: Runes of Virtue | Game Boy
1992  | Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima VII: The Black Gate | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima VI: The False Prophet | Amiga
Software:Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss | MS-DOS
Wing Commander | Amiga
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - Special Operations 2 | MS-DOS
1993  | ShadowCaster | MS-DOS
Strike Commander | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | NES
Software:Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle | MS-DOS
Ultima VII: Part Two - The Silver Seed | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds | MS-DOS
Wing Commander Academy | MS-DOS
Software:Wing Commander: Privateer | MS-DOS
Wing Commander: Privateer - Speech Pack | MS-DOS
Software:Ultima: Runes of Virtue II | Game Boy
1994  | Metal Morph | SNES
Pacific Strike | MS-DOS
Pagan: Ultima VIII | MS-DOS
Pagan: Ultima VIII - Speech Pack | MS-DOS
Privateer: Righteous Fire | MS-DOS
Super Wing Commander | 3DO
System Shock | MS-DOS
Ultima: Runes of Virtue II | SNES
Ultima: The Black Gate | SNES
Wing Commander | Sega CD
Software:Wing Commander: Armada | MS-DOS
Software:Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | MS-DOS
1995  | BioForge | MS-DOS
Software:Crusader: No Remorse | MS-DOS
Software:CyberMage: Darklight Awakening | MS-DOS
System Shock | Mac
Software:Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | 3DO
Wings of Glory | MS-DOS
1996  | Abuse | MS-DOS
Software:Crusader: No Regret | MS-DOS
Software:Crusader: No Remorse | PlayStation
Sega Saturn
Jane's AH-64D Longbow | MS-DOS
Transland | MS-DOS
Software:Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | PlayStation
Software:Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | MS-DOS
1997  | Jane's Combat Simulations: Longbow 2 | Windows
Ultima Online | Windows
Software:Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom | PlayStation
Software:Wing Commander: Prophecy | Windows
1998  | Software:Ultima Online: The Second Age | Windows
Wing Commander: Secret Ops | Windows
1999  | Software:Ultima IX: Ascension | Windows
2000  | Software:Ultima Online: Renaissance | Windows
2001  | Software:Ultima Online: Third Dawn | Windows
2002  | Software:Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn's Revenge | Windows
2003  | Software:Ultima Online: Age of Shadows | Windows
2004  | Software:Ultima Online: Samurai Empire | Windows

### Canceled

* BioPlus (Add-on for BioForge. Aka. BioForge Plus.)
* Carl's Crazy Carnival[13]
* Citadel (first-person shooter)[13]
* Death & Destruction[13]
* Space Race (racing game in vein of Road Rash and Super Monaco GP)[13]
* Crusader: No Survivors (cancelled multiplayer expansion for Software:Crusader: No Regret)
* Crusader 3: No Escape / Crusader: No Mercy / Crusader II
* Worlds of Ultima: Arthurian Legends
* Software:Ultima Worlds Online: Origin
* Harry Potter Online
* Jane's A-10
* Privateer 3
* Strike Team
* Wing Commander VII
* Software:Ultima X: Odyssey (2004)

## References

1. ↑ Warren Spector interviewing Richard Garriott for his University of Texas Master Class in Video Games and Digital Media [1]
2. ↑ Durkee, David (Nov–Dec 1983). "Profiles in Programming / Lord British". Softline: p. 26. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=14.
3. ↑ Mahardy, Mike (6 April 2015). "Ahead of its time: The history of Looking Glass". https://www.polygon.com/2015/4/6/8285529/looking-glass-history.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ferrell, Keith (January 1989). "Dungeon Delving with Richard Garriott". Compute!: p. 16. https://archive.org/stream/1989-01-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_104_1989_Jan#page/n17/mode/2up.
5. ↑ "35 Years Of Influence - A Look Back at Origin Systems, Creators of Ultima and More". 19 April 2018. https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/35-years-of-influence-look-back-at-origin-systems-creators-of-ultima-and-more.
6. ↑ Morrison, Mike (1994). The Magic of Interactive Entertainment. Sams. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-672-30456-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=5NnLDpBy-zkC. "Origin Systems would sell more than 1.5 million units worldwide by 1992."
7. ↑ Varney, Allen (October 11, 2005). "The Conquest of Origin". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_14/87-The-Conquest-of-Origin.
8. ↑ "ELECTRONIC ARTS ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE ORIGIN SYSTEMS". September 10, 1992. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150404020143/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ELECTRONIC+ARTS+ANNOUNCES+AGREEMENT+TO+ACQUIRE+ORIGIN+SYSTEMS-a012612265. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
9. ↑ "Electronic Arts And Origin Pool Resources in "Ultimate" Acquisition". Computer Gaming World: 176. November 1992. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
10. ↑ "Origin". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (13): 105–8. January 1996.
11. ↑ "Interview with Richard Garriott, Executive Producer, NCSoft Austin". Frictionlessinsight.com. 2002-03-17. http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/archives/2002/03/interview-with.html.
12. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (2023-03-15). "Ex-Blizzard leaders Jen Oneal and J. Allen Brack create startup studio Magic Soup Games" (in en-US). https://venturebeat.com/games/ex-blizzard-leaders-jen-oneal-and-j-allen-brack-create-startup-studio-magic-soup-games/.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Martin, Joe (December 21, 2014). "Origin System's unmade games and rejected ideas - Pitch imperfect". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-12-07-origin-systems-unmade-games-and-rejected-ideas.

* v
* t
* e

Origin Systems

Ultima series|

* The First Age of Darkness
* The Revenge of the Enchantress
* Exodus
* Quest of the Avatar
* Warriors of Destiny
* The False Prophet
* The Black Gate
* Serpent Isle
* Pagan
* Ascension

| Spin-offs|

* The Savage Empire
* Martian Dreams
* The Stygian Abyss
* Labyrinth of Worlds
* Online

|

Canceled games|

* Ultima Worlds Online
* Ultima X

|

Wing Commander series|

* Wing Commander
* Vengeance of the Kilrathi
* Heart of the Tiger
* The Price of Freedom
* Prophecy

| Spin-offs|

* Privateer
* Armada

|

Moebius and sequel|

* Moebius
* Windwalker

Crusader and sequel|

* No Remorse
* No Regret

Jane's Simulations series|

* Jane's AH-64D Longbow
* Jane's Longbow 2

Stand-alone games|

* Autoduel
* Ogre
* 2400 A.D.
* Times of Lore
* Knights of Legend
* Omega
* Space Rogue
* Tangled Tales
* Bad Blood
* Strike Commander
* Pacific Strike
* Metal Morph
* Wings of Glory
* BioForge
* CyberMage

Published games|

* ShadowCaster
* System Shock
* Abuse

People|

* Richard Garriott
* Robert Garriott
* Denis Loubet
* Chuck Bueche
* Paul Neurath
* John Romero
* Chris Roberts
* David R. Watson
* Todd Porter
* Warren Spector
* Martin Galway
* Ken Demarest
* Mike McShaffry
* Raymond Benson
* Sheri Graner Ray
* Paul Steed
* Harvey Smith
* Britt Daniel
* David W. Bradley
* Starr Long
* Andrew Sega
* Raph Koster

Related|

* Looking Glass Studios
* Destination Games
* Electronic Arts

* v
* t
* e

Electronic Arts

Employees|

| Founder|

* Trip Hawkins

|

Current|

* Larry Probst (Executive Chairman)
* Andrew Wilson (CEO)
* Mike Verdu

Former|

* Louis Castle
* Bing Gordon
* Frank Gibeau
* Jeff Green
* Ralph Guggenheim
* Amy Hennig
* Robin Hunicke
* Greg Kasavin
* Aaron Loeb
* Don Mattrick
* Peter Moore
* Jade Raymond
* John Riccitiello
* John Schappert
* Mark Skaggs
* Patrick Söderlund
* Will Wright
* Joe Ybarra
* Neil Young

Subsidiaries|

| Current|

* BioWare
* Criterion Games
* DICE
* EA Gothenburg
* EA Mobile
* EA Montreal
* EA Singapore
* EA Sports
* EA Tiburon
* EA Vancouver
* Firemonkeys Studios
* GameFly
* Industrial Toys
* Maxis
* Motive Studios
* PopCap Games
* Respawn Entertainment

|

Defunct|

* Bullfrog Productions
* Danger Close Games
* EA Black Box
* EA Bright Light
* EA Chicago
* EA Pacific
* EA Phenomic
* EA Salt Lake
* Kesmai
* Mythic Entertainment
* NuFX
* Origin Systems
* Pandemic Studios
* Playfish
* Visceral Games
* Westwood Studios

Franchises|

| EA Sports|

* Cricket
* F1
* FIFA
* Fight Night
* Madden NFL
* MVP Baseball
* NASCAR
* NBA Live
* NCAA Basketball
* NCAA Football
* NHL
* PGA Tour
* Triple Play
* SSX
* UFC

|

Other|

* Alice
* Army of Two
* Battlefield
* Bejeweled
* Bookworm
* Boom Blox
* Burnout
* Command & Conquer
* Crysis
* Dead Space
* Dragon Age
* Dungeon Keeper
* Feeding Frenzy
* Mass Effect
* Medal of Honor
* Midnight Star
* Mirror's Edge
* Need for Speed
* Peggle
* Plants vs. Zombies
* Rock Band
* Shank
* SimCity
* Skate
* Star Wars
* Spore
* System Shock
* The Sims
* Titanfall
* Ultima
* Unravel
* Wing Commander
* Zuma

Related|

* EA Access
* Origin
* Pogo.com
* RenderWare
* Frostbite
* Ignite
* List of acquisitions
* List of games
* Criticism of Electronic Arts

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