Richard Garriott on the state of the games industry: ‘The bells and whistles are no longer what’s important’

Ultima creator Richard Garriott says the games industry is struggling with a combination of pressures, including commercial interests, politics and a loss of experienced creators. He argues that technological advances once encouraged developers to make games showcasing new capabilities, but today’s powerful hardware means technical spectacle alone is no longer enough.

Speaking at a Georgia Game Developers Association panel, Garriott described the industry as facing a “creative cliff” as it works out what should come next. He also criticised cancellations and layoffs, recalling that Origin Systems used to complete projects so teams could learn from releasing them, even if sales were poor. After EA acquired Origin in 1992, he said, the company cancelled far more projects than it completed.