PC Gamer Strikes Again

So where does this leave fans of both of the long-running series that grew up with in-depth and intense solo play? Will they feel left out and alienated by thos upheavel? Hollis doesn't seem to think so.

"Incrementally evolving the same type of gameplay year after year is not what Origin is all about," Hollis says. "We want to take people where they have never been before, using new technologies to do so. We intend to create the most compelling online experiences anyone has ever seen. As those elements of the single-player to the persisent, massively multi-player experience. Our existing audience will find those things familar and enticing. More importantly, though, the creation of a virtual community of hundreds of thousands of players takes the interactive experienceto a whole new level. This is hugely exciting! Origin is about applying cutting-edge technology to familiar themes, and we believe that is exactly what our existing audience (and more) is going to want to play when they see it."

It still remains to be seen in what direction the new online-only games will go. The company obviously has a successful model in place in its Ultima Online persistent world, but Origin is promising to explore new and exciting areas as it expands its horizons in the massively multi-player market. We'll have more on this story in future issues, as we delve ever deeper to bring you the facts regarding this fascinating new development from the group whose slogan is "We Create Worlds". It looks like they may want to add the word "Online" to that catchphrase from here on out.