Richard Garriott, also known as Lord British, is considered the inventor of MMORPGs. In 2013, he announced his new game Shroud of the Avatar. This was meant to bring the genre back to its roots, offering more freedom while also enhancing role-playing. However, 10 years later, it is practically dead. We summarize the story for you again.
What made the game so interesting? Richard Garriott created an absolute worldwide success from scratch with the Ultima series. The pinnacle was Ultima Online in 1997, an MMORPG that still runs today. Garriott himself coined the term “Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game” at that time and has since been regarded as the founder of the genre.
After his follow-up project Tabula Rasa had failed spectacularly, he launched a new attack in 2013. With Shroud of the Avatar, he aimed to restore the former glory of MMORPGs. He was not fond of newer titles like SWTOR or Guild Wars 2, which catered too much to casual players.
His new game, on the other hand, was supposed to be less linear, involve less mindless grinding, and above all, focus on role-playing:
- You should be able to write your own story as a trader, crafter, collector, or adventurer.
- This story should, in turn, entail decisions and corresponding consequences.
- Housing should also become an important element.
- Classes were discarded, as had been the case with Ultima.
- The focus should be on a modern action combat system.
To finance this milestone among MMORPGs, he turned to Kickstarter, which worked very well at the time.
2 million dollars at launch, 15 million in total
How did the Kickstarter campaign go? Very well. The original goal of 1 million dollars was reached quite quickly. Within 30 days, it even reached 1,919,275 dollars, donated by a total of 22,322 supporters. 11 people even purchased the largest package for 10,000 dollars.
At that time, there was not much of the game to see. It was more about the ideas presented and the fact that Lord British was making a new game, which excited the players.
Unlike most Kickstarter MMORPGs, Garriott managed to complete his game to the extent that it became playable in March 2015. In a kind of early access, fans could explore the game world of New Britannia and try out the first content.
How was that received? Mixed, with many reviews surprisingly positive. There was criticism for the weak graphics, reminiscent of an early 2000s game, the outdated combat system, and missing content that had originally been promised.
Little of the vision Garriott had praised in 2013 remained. The promised hardcore approach was no longer evident.
However, many fans still believed in the promises back then and therefore even gave positive ratings. They read something like this: “Yes, the game is still absolutely unfinished, but it is an alpha. However, it looks very promising.” Time was supposed to save the game.
What happened next? Initially, Shroud of the Avatar developed very well financially. Through a shop – which some sarcastically say is the only modern aspect of the MMORPG – the game quickly broke the 4 million mark and later even over 15 million dollars that fans invested.
However, not everyone was pleased with this form of monetization. There were houses for hundreds and a castle for 12,000 dollars, as well as countless cosmetics and other bonuses.
Nevertheless, many fans remained loyal to the MMORPG because it ultimately contributed to the bigger picture – a new Ultima. The developers themselves reportedly said: We are the target of an organized hate campaign.
A weak release and the exit of Lord British
How did the player numbers develop? Since Shroud of the Avatar was released almost from the beginning alongside its own client also on Steam, the player numbers can be tracked quite well. During early access, an average of between 50 and 200 people played simultaneously; the game had about 587 players at the official release in 2018.
This isn’t the total number, but it gives a good indication of how the numbers have developed overall. CEO Chris Spears also mentioned at one point that about a third or a quarter of all players were on Steam, the others would use the actual launcher.
However, even the release version was far from the level that many players had expected. Here, the mood shifted significantly, and even the ratings on Steam became worse. For EU players, it was additionally difficult that an external publisher had been commissioned shortly before to accompany the MMORPG here. They felt neglected.
A few months later, the game switched to a free-to-play model, where it only jumped from 318 to 372 players at peak on Steam.
As of now, in 2023, there are still about 35 players logging in simultaneously at peak times. Currently, Shroud of the Avatar only has 52% positive reviews on Steam, with around 3,000 ratings.
How is the studio doing? Not so well. There were early rumors that they were running out of money. Then a model was introduced where players could become shareholders in the company. However, associated rewards, such as insight into finances or player numbers, were not provided.
Moreover, there was a first wave of layoffs in 2018 after the release, and in 2019 the office was closed, with employees expected to continue developing the game remotely to save costs. In October 2019, the game along with its rights and assets was sold to another company. The head of that company was, however, Chris Spears, the former president of Portalarium, the studio behind SOTA.
As a result, the company was completely replaced by Richard Garriott, and he himself played no further role in the development of the MMORPG.
You can listen to a detailed version of the development history in this video by KiraTV:
The game is still running, and Garriott is working on an MMORPG
Where stands the MMORPG today? Shroud of the Avatar still receives irregular updates. However, these are no longer as significant as during early access and release times. The overall player numbers are likely to be modest.
However, anyone who is interested can try the game at any time.
Richard Garriott himself is working on a new MMORPG based on NFTs. It is intended to be a modern Ultima again, with an isometric perspective and lands that players can own:
Developer legend makes a new MMORPG with NFTs, because there is anyway a black market on eBay
What do you think about Shroud of the Avatar and the legacy of Richard Garriott?
