Original Systems

Company

Original Systems

Industry

• Video game development
• Video game publishing

Race

Human

Headquarters

New Babbage, microTech, Stanton system

People

Founder

• Henry Garrity
• Charlie Bass

Founded

SEY 2936 (2936)

External sites

Portfolio

RSI Portfolio

Original Systems is a video game developer and publisher best known for creating the Arena Commander space combat game.

History

Before 2943, Original Systems was best known as the creator of the ULTIMATE series of action roleplaying games. In eight years, the company grew from teenagers developing MobiGlas games in their parents' hangar to a worldwide multimedia concern. It saw a significant change, and a sharp rise in units sold, with the release of the Arena Commander space combat game.

Original Systems' history dates back to the late 2920s, when eventual founder Henry Garrity began experimenting with MobiGlas game design in his father's Self-Land hangar. The result was Ackbar, a roleplaying game unlike anything previously released for the system. The game sold well and became a hit in the emerging mobigaming marketplace. Garrity treated it as the prototype for ULTIMATE, the roleplaying scenario that would spawn a dozen sequels and influence the wider gaming market. The success earned Garrity a publishing deal with industry powerhouse Oakhurst Online, which published the first three ULTIMATE titles until a dispute over the quality of the included holographic maps split the two parties.

In 2936, Garrity joined with his brother, a financial expert, and fellow game developer Charlie Bass to form Original Systems. That same year they launched both Bass' Caves of Terra, a platforming action game, and Garrity's ULTIMATE IV, still considered by many to be his masterpiece. By 2940, Original Systems had a dozen titles in its catalog and employed 300 developers across multiple studios. The company had carved out a strong niche in the market and was widely regarded as the leading roleplaying game designer of the period.

In 2940, Garrity formed a friendship with the up-and-coming Terran developer Tristan Blair. Blair had published several successful games for interactive home display walls and was eager to move beyond MobiGlas development into the more powerful environment offered by dedicated gaming hardware. Garrity offered to publish Blair's latest title, an ULTIMATE-style roleplaying game called Times of Myth, and then hired him to design further titles at Original. The result was the release of Arena Commander.

ULTIMATE Series

Drawing on Garrity's varied and esoteric tastes, the ULTIMATE series places users in a world that mixes elements ranging from medieval fantasy tropes to present-day space adventure themes. A typical ULTIMATE scenario might combine horseback swordplay with ranged laser warfare, set within stories that require players to make value judgments rather than simply fighting one another. Six main-series ULTIMATE titles have been released, each continuing the main player's adventures through a fictional realm.

ULTIMATE has proven unusually popular among the Xi'an. The Xi'an C-sphere Organic Entertainment corporation approached Original Systems and requested that it port ULTIMATE III, the first piece of Human entertainment software adapted for alien use in this fashion. The resulting advertising campaign made Garrity a minor celebrity among the Xi'an and brought a new audience to the game.

Arena Commander

Reviewed favorably by gamers and critics, from Optimum Glas (which issued its only six-star review) to the New Terran Journal, Arena Commander changed Original Systems' reputation and influenced how games are developed. Unlike ULTIMATE, Arena Commander focuses on immersion: playing it is intended to be as close to flying a present-day Aurora or Hornet space fighter as modern technology can simulate.

Also unlike ULTIMATE, Arena Commander is not a MobiGlas title. It instead makes use of high-powered computers and can be run on hardware ranging from dedicated gaming desktops to the internal computers found aboard starships. Although a game that suggests equipping a starship to play might deter some developers, Blair maintained that users would upgrade their hardware for the best possible experience, and sales supported his claim.

At its core, Arena Commander pits pilots against one another in one-on-one dogfights across a variety of environments. Much of the experience is simulated, from visual damage states to the sensation of the player's hand moving on the flight stick. The game's functionality expands through a series of optional expansion packs, each adding more ships and scenarios for an additional fee. Actual military pilots were used to test the game during development, and they reported that no comparable space combat simulation had previously been available for home users.

Arena Commander developed a dedicated fan base across the UEE, with followers attending Arena Commander conventions and awaiting each new expansion. There has been discussion of an expansive franchise, including plans for an Arena Commander holovid series or a feature film in the early stages. Talk of Arena Commander 2, only months after the release of the first game, was already widespread.

The Future

Analysts have suggested that Original Systems' rapid success over the last 18 months may also become a liability. Until recently, the company held a publishing agreement with Brainscape, Inc. that helped offset the cost of publishing new games. Public demand for Arena Commander was so great, however, that all parties involved spent heavily to fulfill outstanding orders. The cost of building that infrastructure means that Original's next title, whether ULTIMATE VII, Arena Commander 2, or Blair's historical air combat simulation, will need to sell comparable numbers for the company to remain viable. Some observers also fear that the company is at risk of a hostile takeover by a larger publisher, which could affect Original's culture and approach to game development.

Trivia

• Original Systems is a reference to Origin Systems, a real-life game developer and publisher where Chris Roberts worked as Game Designer and Creative Director from 1988 to 1996 on games such as Wing Commander and Strike Commander, alongside other people now working on Star Citizen.
• Military pilots were used to test Strike Commander.

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