Was a video game developer based in Austin, Texas, which was active from 1983 to 2004. It is most famous for the Ultima and Wing Commander series. Started by Richard Garriott AKA Lord British.

Origin Systems was founded in 1983 by brothers Robert and Richard Garriott, their father Owen Garriott, as well as Chuck Bueche. Bueche and Richard Garriott had previously made Ultima 1 and Ultima 2 with Sierra online, but terminated their contract while in the middle of negotiations regarding the release of Ultima III and founded Origin Systems. The motto of Origin Systems was "We Create Worlds". Its games were well recognized for well written plots and attention to detail. They went on to publishing several more Ultima games as well as the MMORPG Ultima Online. Other notable franchises created by Origin are the Wing Commanderseries as well as the Crusader games. With the publication of Ultima Online they attracted the attention of EA games, who saw potential in the game, going on to buy Origin Systems. Electronic Arts disbanded the studio after cancelling some of the upcoming games being developed by Origin.

Origin Systems had a special branch called Origin Skunkworks which created flight sims. The branch eventually split off to continue creating flight sims. Richard Garriott later founded Destination Games, which was then bought out by NCsoft, where he has also found great success in the position of Executive producer for MMO titles City of Heroes and City of Villains, as well as releasing a MMO of his own design, Tabula Rasa in 2007, but to no great success.

Many other employees of Origin Games have gone on to bigger and better things.
The Ultima series still enjoys a cult following, with hobbyists creating a program that will run some of the games, such as Ultima 7, in Windows XP, as it is a DOS game. The program also allows users to create their own worlds with ultima engines.

EA changed the name of the studio to simply Origin. Luckily Richard Garriott being the man with a plan, went on to found Portalarium and are working on their next title, Shroud of the Avatar, a successor to the Ultima series.

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Wing Commander

Wing Commander

Combat Sim

Wing Commander is a space combat simulator. The player takes the role of a pilot aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw, a Bengal-class Strike Carrier. The player...

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness

Role Playing

In the beginning of this adventure, hordes of nightmarish creatures stalk forth from the lair of Mondain the Wizard to devastate the tranquil kingdoms...

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Role Playing

picks up on the story of the Avatar, the hero of Britannia. The country’s benevolent monarch is nowhere to be found, and an usurper named Lord Blackthorn...

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Role Playing

In the seventh installment of the Ultima series you — the Avatar — must go back to Britannia and investigate a series of strange events. Two hundred...

System Shock

System Shock

Role Playing

System Shock is an action role-playing game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994, the game is set...

Ultima Online

Ultima Online

Role Playing

Is a enter the magical world of Ultima Online, create your own adventure MMO in high medieval fantasy, A world with spells, monsters, quests and heroes...

Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress

Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress

Role Playing

In your second quest, you will discover that, although the master is dead, his evil legacy lives on. Minax, apprentice of Mondain, has come of age, raining...

Ultima III: Exodus

Ultima III: Exodus

Role Playing

Finally, after years of peace, fragments of a manuscript hint at an unholy alliance between Mondain and Minax. Of the fruits of that alliance, none can...

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Role Playing

The Avatar enjoys his time away, when a moongate suddenly appears. You enter through it, only to find yourself in the middle of a ritual sacrifice conducted...

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

Role Playing

Prepare yourself for a grand adventure! Ultima™ IV, sixteen times larger than Ultima™ III, is a milestone in computer gaming. Lord British has produced...

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