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Origin Systems

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Origin Systems, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer games
Founded1983
Defunct2004
Fatedisbanded
HeadquartersAustin, Texas, USA
Key people
Richard Garriott
Robert Garriott co-founders
ProductsUltima series
Wing Commander series
Crusader series
Strike Commander
System Shock
Wings of Glory
ParentElectronic Arts

Origin Systems, Inc. (sometimes abbreviated as OSI) was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004. It is most famous for the Ultima, Wing Commander, and Crusader game series'.

History

The company was founded in 1983 by brothers Robert and Richard Garriott, their father Owen and Chuck Bueche after Richard had terminated his contract with Sierra On-Line to publish the third part in Richard's Ultima series, Ultima III: Exodus.

In September 1992, Electronic Arts acquired the company.

In 1997, they released one of the earliest and most successful graphical MMORPGs, Ultima Online. After this title, Electronic Arts decided that Origin would become an online-only company after the completion of Ultima IX in 1999. However, within a year's time, 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 Ultima X: Odyssey, originally to be released in 2004 but later canceled. In February of 2004, the studio was disbanded by Electronic Arts.

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):

  • Raymond Benson was head writer on Ultima VII--The Black Gate, contributed some writing to 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 007 novels.
  • Tom Chilton was lead designer on Ultima Online: Age of Shadows and went on to be a lead designer for Blizzard Entertainment.
  • Britt Daniel was a composer for numerous titles and went on to found the rock band Spoon.
  • Ken Demarest created the technical prototype for Ultima Online, directed BioForge, led programming on Ultima VII, and coded on Wing Commander 1.
  • Richard Garriott aka "Lord British" creator of Ultima, and cofounder of Origin. Later founded Destination Games later acquired by NC Soft.
  • Robert Garriott, brother of Richard Garriott, cofounded Origin and Destination Games.
  • Martin Galway was a Sound Designer/Composer and Audio Technician who went on to work at Digital Anvil.
  • Paul Isaac was technical lead on the Wing Commander and Strike Commander series. He later became a lead developer at Digital Anvil / Microsoft worked on Freelancer and more recently joined Certain Affinity as engineering lead.
  • Raph Koster was lead designer of Ultima Online and later joined Sony Online Entertainment in Austin developing Everquest II and Star Wars Galaxies.
  • Mike McShaffry was lead developer of several of the Ultima series. Later co-founded other Austin studios and has written and taught on game development theory.
  • Sheri Graner Ray was a writer and designer on several of the Ultima series. Went on to work with several major companies including Sony Online Entertainment and Cartoon Network. Also founder of Women In Games International.
  • Chris Roberts creator of the Wing Commander Series. Founder of Digital Anvil, later acquired by Microsoft.
  • John Romero was shortly working for Origin in 1987-1988 before joining id Software
  • Zack Booth Simpson was Director of Technology and Research Fellow and went on to co-found Titanic Entertainment and later became a pioneer of interactivity as a fine art with installations in museums around the world.
  • Warren Spector producer of Ultima Underworld which was developed by Doug Church and Looking Glass Studios as well as System Shock, Wings of Glory and numerous other titles. He later co-founded ION Storm and managed its Austin office, creating Deus Ex.
  • Paul Steed 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.
  • Brian G. Smith worked on Privateer, Longbow, and Wing Commander, and went on to work on Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius.

Characteristics

Origin's motto was "We Create Worlds" and its games were known for their well-realized plots and the amount of detail furnished. OSI was always ahead of the curve in terms of cutting edge graphics and game versatility.

The original Wing Commander, for instance, came with a booklet purporting to be a shipboard magazine named Claw Marks, written and published by the crew of the Tiger's Claw (ghost-written by Aaron Allston); it provided the player with a number of irrelevancies (such as an interview with the star of a popular televised wartime drama) as well as convenient statistics and user guides for ships, weapon systems, and information regarding pilots and tactics on both Terran and Kilrathi sides and also hints on a rich background history.

Gameography

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