Ultima

electronic game series

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July 23, 2026

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The Ultima series is a foundational electronic game series that significantly influenced the role-playing video game genre. Origin Systems, Inc. released the first Ultima game in 1980 for the Apple II computer. These games typically feature players advancing through quests, improving their characters' attributes and abilities.

Ultima games often explore fantasy settings, drawing inspiration from tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. A notable installment, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985), directly incorporated players' ethical choices into gameplay. The series has seen numerous sequels released across various platforms over the decades, with Ultima Online (1997) being a pioneering massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).12

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Richard Garriott
The Ultima series that followed established him as a major player in the computer-gaming industry, and in 1983 Garriott cofounded Origin Systems, Inc. Garriott’s in-game avatar, Lord British, ruled the kingdom of Britannia, and players engaged in quests to defeat a series of evils. With the…
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The Ultima series that followed established him as a major player in the computer-gaming industry, and in 1983 Garriott cofounded Origin Systems, Inc. Garriott’s in-game avatar, Lord British, ruled the kingdom of Britannia, and players engaged in quests to defeat a series of evils. With the…
Read More

role-playing video game
Single-player RPGs
’s Ultima (1980) and Sir-Tech Software, Inc.’s Wizardry (1981), both originally for Apple Inc.’s Apple II home computer. Sequels of Wizardry were produced over the next two decades for the Commodore Amiga computer, personal computers running MS-DOS, and the Sega Saturn and Sony Corporation
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’s Ultima (1980) and Sir-Tech Software, Inc.’s Wizardry (1981), both originally for Apple Inc.’s Apple II home computer. Sequels of Wizardry were produced over the next two decades for the Commodore Amiga computer, personal computers running MS-DOS, and the Sega Saturn and Sony Corporation
Read More