Probably one of the most influential game developers of all time is Richard Garriot, an early pioneer of the role playing game genre, whose groundwork continues to inspire games to this day. While Garriot’s later works didn’t match up to his early legacy, he is going to be trying again with a brand new game.
Shroud of the Avatar is his newest project, a multiplayer fantasy RPG that was originally Kickstarted, and has been in Early Access on Steam for three and a half years- the game, at last, launches today.
“It’s exciting to have reached this major milestone,” Garriot said. “Our fans and backers have been extremely patient and incredibly helpful with us every step of the way of our journey. With Shroud, I wanted to go back to my roots of game design. We wanted to create a rich story and also bring back a sandbox style of play… a style that’s immersive and interactive.”
Early indications are that Garriot has achieved what he set out to do with Shroud of the Avatar—hopefully, the game ends up living to those impressions, because when Garriot is at his best, he is basically all but unmatched. Check out the launch trailer for the game for yourself below.