History of Western role-playing video games

Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, specifically North America and, in more recent years, Europe. For role-playing games developed in East Asia, see History of Eastern role-playing video games.

Early American computer RPGs (late 1970s–mid 1980s)

Mainframe computers (late 1970s–early 1980s)

See also: Chronology of roguelike video games

Simple overhead monochrome graphics of dnd on the PLATO mainframe system.

The earliest role-playing video games began in the mid to late 1970s as offshoots of early university mainframe text-based RPGs on PDP-10, PLATO and Unix-based systems, starting with Dungeon (1975 or 1976), pedit5 (1975) and dnd (1975) . These early games were inspired by pen-and-paper role-playing games—particularly Dungeons & Dragons, which was released shortly before in 1974, and J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some of the first graphical CRPGs after pedit5 and dnd included orthanc (1978, named after Saruman's tower in Lord of the Rings), avathar (1979, later renamed avatar), oubliette (1977, French for "dungeon"), dungeons of degorath, baradur, emprise, bnd, sorcery, moria (1975), and dndworld (19??)—all of which were developed and became widely popular on the PLATO system during the latter 1970s, in large part due to PLATO's speed, fast graphics, nationwide network of terminals, and large number of players with access to those terminals. PLATO, being a mainframe system with multiple users, also allowed multiple, simultaneous players to play at the same time—a feature not commonly available to owners of home personal computer systems at the time. These were followed by—but did not always lead directly to—games on other platforms, such as Temple of Apshai (1979, originally for the TRS-80, and later followed by two add-ons), Akalabeth (1980, which gave rise to the well-known Ultima series), Wizardry (1981) and Sword of Fargoal (1982). Additional influences during this time period would come in the form of text adventures like Colossal Cave Adventure (1976) & Zork (1976), early MUDs, tabletop wargames like Chainmail (beginning in 1971), and sports games like Strat-O-Matic (beginning in 1961).

Gary Gygax [co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons] was pivotal to the development of the gaming industry, and to my own career. (...) Millions upon millions of players around the world live and play in imaginary worlds built on the back of what Gary first conceived.

— Richard Garriott, following Gygax's death in 2008

In 1980, a popular dungeon crawler called Rogue was developed for Unix-based systems by two students at Berkeley. Featuring ASCII graphics, a deep system of gameplay, and lots of randomly generated items and locations, it was later distributed as free software with the BSD operating system and followed by a whole genre of "roguelikes" that were inspired by and emulated the original game's mechanics, as well as later titles such as Diablo. Of particular note is 1987's NetHack, an update of Rogue that arguably surpassed the original in popularity, complexity and sense of humor—as well as through its continuous extensions and updates over nearly two decades. Other and later examples of roguelikes include Angband (1990), Ancient Domains of Mystery (1993) and Linley's Dungeon Crawl (1997).

All of these games featured simplistic, often monochrome graphics and/or keyboard-only input—and in the case of Rogue, representations of objects using text characters, such as '@' for the main character and 'Z' for zombies. However, they all more or less featured characteristics that are recognized today, such as exploring subterranean dungeons, equipping weapons and items, "leveling up" and completing quests, and in some cases—such as Dungeon—parties composed of multiple characters that can be controlled and ordered individually.

Ultima and Wizardry (early–mid 1980s)

The early Ultima (originally Ultimatum) and Wizardry games had perhaps the largest influence on RPGs that came afterward. For instance, many innovations of the early Ultimas—in particular Ultima III: Exodus (1983)—by developer Richard Garriott eventually became standard among later RPGs in both the console (if somewhat simplified to fit the gamepad) and personal computer markets. These included the use of tiled graphics and party-based combat, its mix of fantasy and science-fiction elements, and the inclusion of time travel (borrowed from the movie Time Bandits) as a plot device. The game was also revolutionary in its use of a written narrative to convey a larger story than was typically found in the minimal video game plots common at the time. Most games—including Garriott's own Akalabeth—tended to focus primarily on basic gameplay mechanics like combat without venturing much further into story and narrative.

In addition, Garriott would introduce in Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985) a theme that would persist throughout later Ultimas—a system of chivalry and code of conduct in which the player, or "Avatar", tackles such problems as fundamentalism, racism, and xenophobia, and is tested periodically in both obvious and unseen ways based on his or her actions. This code of conduct—partly in response to efforts among some Christian groups to stem the tide of popularity behind Dungeons & Dragons, and covering a range of virtues including compassion, justice, humility and honor—would continue until Ultima IX (1999), and would even be turned on its head in later titles as unintended and unforeseen consequences would start to become apparent in the surrounding world. This system of morals and ethics was unique at the time, in that in other video games players could for the most part act and do as they wished and still be lauded as "heroes" by the game worlds' denizens. In Ultima IV, on the other hand, players were forced by the designer to consider the moral consequences of their actions. According to Garriott, Ultima was now "more than a mere fantasy escape. It provided a world with a framework of deeper meaning?a level of detail [and] diversity of interaction that is rarely attempted." "I thought people might completely reject this game because some folks play just to kill, kill, kill. To succeed in this game, you had to radically change the way you'd ever played a game before."

Ultima VII is still my favorite game. It's hard not to look at Oblivion and see the Ultima influence.

— Todd Howard, executive producer of the Elder Scrolls series

Originally published for the Apple II and considered by many to be the first modern CRPG, Ultima III would go on to be ported to many other platforms and influence the development of later titles, including such console RPGs as Excalibur (1983) and Dragon Quest (1986). The series as a whole would go on to span over a dozen titles, including the spin-off series Worlds of Ultima (1990–1991) and Ultima Underworld (1992–1993), as well as the landmark multiplayer online series, Ultima Online (1997). Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (1992) would offer players a full 360 degree view of the game world, and Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992) would be the first real-time title in the series, and could be played entirely using the mouse. Richard would later leave Origin Systems and Electronic Arts to form Destination Games under publisher NCsoft, and either created or worked on a number of NCsoft's MMORPGs, including Lineage (1998) and Tabula Rasa (2007), before splitting with the publisher in 2009.

Beginning roughly around the same time in 1981 on the Apple II, the Wizardry series would feature a 3D, first-person view, an intuitive interface, party-based combat, and pre-constructed levels that encouraged players to create their own maps. As with many other games of this time period, characters could be imported from previous games (in Wizardry's case, with their experience levels reduced); and a novel feature was the introduction of moral alignment to characters, which limited the areas players could visit. The series was also extremely difficult when compared to other RPGs of the time. Wizardry IV (1986) in particular is considered one of the most difficult CRPGs ever created. (It is also unique in that the player controls the evil wizard from the first game in an attempt to fight his way out of his prison dungeon and gain freedom in the world, above.) And, unlike Ultima which evolved and grew considerably with each installment, the Wizardry series retained and refined the same style and core mechanics over time, being updated only with improved graphics and level design as the years progressed. The series' most famous titles would also not come until years later (the series' latest installment would be published as recently as 2001).

By June 1982, Temple of Apshai had sold 30,000 copies, Wizardry sold 24,000 copies, and Ultima sold 20,000 copies. Further innovations would be introduced by games such as the 1982 releases Dungeons of Daggorath and Telengard (re-written in BASIC from an earlier version named DND for the PDP-10). In contrast to earlier dungeon crawl games that used turn-based movement (where if the party didn't move, neither did the enemies), enemy movement in Dungeons of Daggorath and Telengard instead occurred in real-time. The same year, Tunnels of Doom introduced separate screens for exploration and combat, The earliest role-playing video game on a console was also released that year: Dragonstomper on the Atari 2600.

Golden Age (late 1980s–early 1990s)

Many early RPGs, including avatar, moria and Wizardry, used a primitive form of first-person perspective; and games like Dungeons of Daggorath and Dungeon Master also featured real-time gameplay. Pictured here is Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back (1989).

Beginning with the release of Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum for the Apple II in 1986, the Might and Magic series would prove to be highly popular in the 1980s and onward. Featuring a mix of complex statistics, large numbers of weapons and spells, enormous worlds in which to play, the Might and Magic series would spawn a total of nine games—the most recent of which was released in 2002—as well as the popular turn-based strategy series Heroes of Might and Magic, making it among the most long-lived series of CRPGs along side Ultima and Wizardry. The series is also notable for making race and gender an important aspect of gameplay.

Starting in 1988 with Pool of Radiance for the Apple II and Commodore 64, Strategic Simulations, Inc. produced a series of "Gold Box" CRPGs, the first widely successful official video game adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons license and rules. These games featured a first-person display for movement and exploration, combined with an overhead tactical display for combat that tried to model D&D's turn-based mechanics. The Gold Box series is probably what SSI are best known for; and is considered one of the defining series of the "Golden Age" of CRPGs. The games spawned a series of novels, and titles continued to be published up until 1993, when the game engine was finally retired (though users were still able to create their own adventures that could be played using the Gold Box engine if they purchased Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures). The latter titles were developed by Stormfront Studios, who also produced Neverwinter Nights, a multi-player implementation of the Gold Box engine for America Online which ran from 1991 to 1997. Just like the Wizardry series, characters could also be imported from one game into another.

In 1985, prior to the release of the Gold Box games, SSI also released Wizard's Crown, a "hardcore" RPG featuring parties of eight characters, a skill-based experience system, highly detailed combat mechanics, dozens of commands, injuries and bleeding, and strengths and weaknesses versus individual weapon classes. The game did not, however, feature much in terms of role-playing or narrative beyond buying, selling and killing. Wizard's Crown was followed by The Eternal Dagger in 1987, which was mostly the same except for the removal of a few of the more complicated elements.

Beginning in 1985, Interplay Productions would develop a string of hits in the form of The Bard's Tale and its sequels under publisher Electronic Arts, originally for the Apple II. Combining colorful graphics, a clean interface and simple rules, the series was one of the first CRPG series to reach a mainstream audience—including a series of spin-off novels by authors such as Mercedes Lackey—something that arguably did not occur again until the release of Diablo in 1997. The series was also remarkable at the time for allowing players to explore cities in detail instead of relegating them to simple menu screens with "buy"/"sell" options. Like the Gold Box series, a construction set was released in 1991 allowing players to create their own games, and the engine was re-used once again in Interplay's 1988 post-apocalyptic CRPG, Wasteland.

Starting in 1987, FTL Games' Dungeon Master for the Atari ST introduced several user-interface innovations, such as direct manipulation of objects and the environment using the mouse, to first-person CRPGs. It was also one of the first series to popularize the real-time, first-person viewpoint as seen in more recent games like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and first-person shooters. The game featured a complex magic system whereby magical spells could be created by combining runes in specific sequences. Working sequences were not detailed beforehand in the game manual; instead players would have to discover them on their own or through trial and error. Two sequels would follow in 1989 and 1993, and the game's first-person, real-time mechanics would be copied in SSI's "Black Box" series, starting with Eye of the Beholder in 1990. (1993's Betrayal at Krondor would also feature a magic system highly reminiscent of Dungeon Master's.) Dungeon Master would ultimately sell 40,000 copies in its first year of release alone, and would go on to become the ST's best selling product of all time.

Times of Lore, released by Origin Systems in 1988, introduced the action-adventure and action role-playing game formula of console titles such as The Legend of Zelda to the American computer RPG market. Times of Lore directly inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as the 1990 games Bad Blood, another action RPG based on the same engine, and Ultima VI: The False Prophet, based on the same interface.

Sierra Entertainment, known for its point-and-click adventure games, would produce the Quest for Glory series beginning in 1992, combining CRPG and adventure game mechanics together into a highly unique mix. Featuring involved stories, complex puzzles, as well as (lamentably, to some) arcade-like combat, the series would continue for a total of five titles, the most recent of which was released in 1998. Originally, the series was supposed to be a tetralogy, consisting of four games and containing the following themes and cyles: the four cardinal directions, the four classical elements, the four seasons and the four mythologies. However, when Shadows of Darkness was designed, it was thought that it would be too difficult for the hero to go straight from Shapeir to Mordavia and defeat the Dark One. To solve this problem, a new game, Wages of War, was inserted into the canon, causing a renumbering of the series.

Beginning with Betrayal at Krondor in 1993, Sierra would go on to publish the Krondor series, basing it upon the Midkemia setting created by author Raymond E. Feist. Featuring turn-based, semi-tactical combat and a skill-based experience system, the game would unfortunately suffer due to outdated, polygonal graphics. Feist was heavily consulted during the development of the game, and would later go on to create his own novelization based upon the game. Two sequels would follow: Betrayal in Antara (1997), which would re-use the engine of the first game, but would be set in a different universe due to Sierra losing the license to the Krondor setting; and Return to Krondor (1998), which used a brand new engine, but was set once again in Feist's fictional universe.

Also beginning in 1993, Westwood Studios's Lands of Lore series would also feature a more story-based approach to RPG design. With brightly-colored, cheerful graphics, a simple combat system borrowed from Dungeon Master, and a semi-linear story, the game would serve as a stylistic "mirror" to Japanese RPGs of the time. Thus lending weight to the theory that not all Western RPGs conform to the stereotype of being dark and gritty and rules-centric.

Decline (mid 1990s)

At or around 1995 Western RPGs would face a sharp decline as developers struggled to meet growing expectations with regard to computer graphics, voice overs and CD quality sound facilitated by CD-ROM technology. Whereas RPGs were previously at or near the forefront of gaming technology, developers were beginning to slip in their ability to keep up with hardware capabilities, with the resulting effect of lengthy delays between releases among the genre's most popular series, and outright closures among the less popular franchises. Instead of nearly yearly releases, such as SSI's Gold Box series, sequels were taking three and four or more years to be released as development budgets and team sizes increased. Further, along with flight simulators and adventure games, players began turning away from RPGs in favor of more action-oriented games such as first-person shooters and real-time strategy, with later RPGs being in turn influenced by these other genres. Lastly, RPGs did not merely decline in numbers following this period - they exhibited other changes as well: non-player characters became chattier, as in Baldur's Gate; party sizes became smaller, as in Fallout; combat became faster, as in Diablo; games became more accessible, as in Windows 95 compared to MS-DOS. Finally, games became more cinematic as opposed to novelistic, as in Knights of the Old Republic, with a focus on a single player-made character progressing through the game and acting as the player's sole avatar.

The mid-to-late 1990s also saw video games take on a more serious tone, abandoning some of the silliness and weirdness of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Instead, they became darker and grittier over time, and featured more thematically consistent storylines where all the pieces fit together better. For instance, Diablo featured a straightforward Gothic style throughout; and the Elder Scrolls series downplayed some of the more embarrassing aspects of its setting (e.g. cat- or lizard-people) in favor of the more recognizable Dark Elves and Nords.

North American computer RPGs (late 1990s)

Diablo and action RPGs

See also: Action role-playing game

Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed RPG released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996 in the midst of a stagnant PC RPG market. Set in the fictional Kingdom of Khanduras in the world of Sanctuary, Diablo has the player take control of a lone hero battling to rid the world of Diablo, the Lord of Terror, in a fast action, point-and-click environment. While Diablo in some ways resembles a roguelike game in its focus on dungeon crawling and its procedurally generated levels (Diablo's development was influenced by Moria and Angband), major differences include the commercial quality of the game's graphics, its simplified character development, and the fact that it plays in real-time rather than being turn-based. Not least of all contributing to Diablo's success was its support for online, collaborative play through its online service, Battle.net (as well as over a local area network using the IPX protocol, a telephone line with the use of a modem, etc.), thus greatly extended its replay value, though cheating remained a major factor. While not the first RPG to feature real-time combat, Diablo's effect on the market was significant, mirroring the changes in other genres following the release of the action titles, Doom and Dune II. It had many imitators, and its formula of simple, fast combat and replayability went on to be used by what were later referred to as "Diablo clones", or more broadly "action RPGs".

Typically, Diablo clones and other action RPGs feature each player directly controlling a single character in real time, and feature a strong focus on combat and action with plot and character interaction kept to a minimum. For instance, most commands in Diablo—such as for moving and attacking—are executed using mouse clicks rather than through menus (though learned spells in Diablo could also be assigned to hotkeys); and in many action RPGs, non-player characters serve little purpose outside of allowing you to buy or sell items and upgrade your character's abilities, or issuing combat-centric quests. Unlike many of the classic "Golden Age" RPGs, there are also few or no puzzles, with most problems instead having an action-based solution (such as breaking a wooden door open with an axe rather than finding the key needed to unlock it).

One common challenge in developing action RPGs is including content beyond simply killing enemies. With the sheer number of items, locations and monsters found in many such games - especially those of the hack and slash variety - it can be difficult to create the needed depth and offer players a unique experience tailored to his or her beliefs or preferences. One notable example that went beyond this is Deus Ex (2000), which offered multiple solutions to problems using intricately layered dialogue choices, a deep skill tree, and hand-crafted environments. Instead of simply bashing their way through levels, players were challenged to act in character by choosing dialog options appropriate to his or her chosen role, and by using the surrounding environment intelligently. This produced an experience that was unique and tailored to each situation.

An expansion pack to Diablo, titled Diablo: Hellfire, was released in 1997; followed by a sequel, Diablo II, in 2000. The sequel later received its own expansion, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, in 2001; and three of the four titles are commonly sold together in stores as part of the Diablo Battle Chest over a decade later. A third game, Diablo III, was announced on June 28, 2008, and is currently in development. Other examples of "Diablo clones" include Fate (2005), Sacred (2004), Torchlight (2009), Din's Curse (2011) and Hellgate: London (2007)—the last of which was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard employees, some of whom had participated in the creation of the Diablo series. And, like Diablo and Rogue before it, Torchlight, Din's Curse, Hellgate: London and Fate all made use of procedural generation to generate game levels.

Finally, there is debate over whether games like BioWare's Mass Effect (2007) and its sequels constitute action RPGs as opposed to more traditional RPGs (though the sequels pushed more in the direction of action games), or whether they can be considered RPGs at all.

Interplay, BioWare, and Black Isle

File:Fallout2-reactor.jpg

Interplay popularized the use of an overhead, axonometric projection in its RPGs during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Pictured here is Fallout 2 (1998).

In the late 1990s, Interplay (now known as Interplay Entertainment and a publisher in its own right) produced several RPG titles through two new developers: Black Isle Studios and BioWare. In 1997, Black Isle released the groundbreaking Fallout, set in an alternate history future America following a nuclear holocaust. One of the few successful video game RPGs not set in the swords-and-sorcery setting, Fallout was notable for its open-ended, largely non-linear gameplay and quest system, tongue-in-cheek humor, and pervasive sense of style and imagery highly reminiscent of Interplay's earlier Wasteland. The game afforded players numerous moral choices to shape the world based on how NPCs reacted to the player, much like the original Ultimas. In fact, Fallout was nearly as influential on post-crash RPGs as Ultima was on Golden Age RPGs, and is considered by some to be the first "modern" CRPG. Black Isle soon followed up with a sequel, and a tactical RPG based on the franchise by third-party developer Micro Forté would be published under Interplay's strategy division 14 Degrees East in 2001.

BioWare's Baldur's Gate series, beginning in 1998, was no less important, being the most significant D&D series to be released since the Gold Box era. At the time—and despite being real-time instead of turn-based—the games created the most accurate and in-depth D&D simulation to date, and featured support for up to six-players in co-op mode. Baldur's Gate provided an epic story including NPC followers and written dialogue that continued through both titles and two expansion packs, solidifying BioWare's reputation as one of the premier designers of RPGs in the late '90s and into the next decade. An even more combat-oriented series, Icewind Dale—this time developed by Black Isle instead of BioWare—quickly followed.

Lastly, another critically acclaimed D&D title, Planescape: Torment, would be developed by Black Isle and published by Interplay in 1999, and would become known for its moody, artistic air and extensive writing. And, collectively, Interplay's Fallout, Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate (particularly the last) are considered examples of some of the finest RPGs ever made.

I think there are a few reasons for Fallout's success. It gave you tremendous freedom to let you wander wherever you chose. This freedom—to take whatever quests you want and solve them however you choose—is what an RPG was always supposed to be about.

— Chris Avellone

Black Isle's games during this time period often shared engines to cut down on development time and costs, and most feature an overhead axonometrically projected third-person interface. Except for the two Fallout games, the rest of their titles used various versions of the Infinity Engine developed for Baldur's Gate by BioWare. The collapse of Interplay resulted in the shutdown of Black Isle and the cancellation of the third games in both the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series, as well as of an original title, Torn. Instead, they published a trio of console-only action RPGs based on the two franchises: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (2001), Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II (2004), and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (2004). One of the last CRPGs released before Interplay seemingly went defunct was the poorly received Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (2003) by developer Reflexive Entertainment, notable for using the SPECIAL system introduced in Fallout.

Beginning in 2008, using money from its sale of the Fallout intellectual property to Bethesda Softworks, as well as from the sale of its controlling interests to a Luxembourg-based firm, Interplay announced that it was going to restart its in-basement game development studio and develop sequels and Wii Virtual Console versions to some of its classic console series, including Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Earthworm Jim. Interplay has also been developing a massively multiplayer online game based on the Fallout franchise (which it retained the rights to create), though Bethesda has belatedly filed several injunctions against Interplay in an attempt to prevent it from doing so. As a result, both the game and possibly the future of Interplay are in legal limbo pending the outcome of the dispute.

Early 21st century (2000s–present)

The new century saw a trend toward ever-improving graphical quality, combined with increasingly detailed and realistic game worlds, particularly in the move to 3D game engines; as well as an increasing number of multi-platform releases.

In a nod toward the burgeoning mod scene for first-person shooters—and like other RPG construction kits that came before it—the Aurora and Electron (pictured here) toolsets for Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 allowed users to create and share their own custom modules online with their friends.

BioWare went on to produce Neverwinter Nights (2002) for Atari, which was the first CRPG to fuse the third-edition Dungeons & Dragons rules with a 3D display in which the user could vary the viewing angle and distance. New game content could be generated using the Aurora toolset supplied as part of the game release, and players could share their modules and play cooperatively with their friends online. Based in part on experiences while playing Ultima Online, one of the goals during development was to reproduce the feel of a live pen-and-paper RPG experience, complete with human dungeon master. NWN was very successful commercially, spawning three official expansion packs as well as a sequel developed by Obsidian Entertainment (described below). BioWare later went on to produce the highly acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which married the d20 system with the very popular Star Wars franchise; as well as the original titles Jade Empire (2005), Mass Effect (2007), Dragon Age: Origins (2009), and Mass Effect 2 (2010)—all of which were released for multiple platforms. Dragon Age II was released in 2011.

During the production of Fallout 2, some of Black Isle's key members left the studio to form Troika Games, which released Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001), followed by the highly anticipated The Temple of Elemental Evil (2003) based on the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition rules and Greyhawk setting. This was soon followed by Troika's last game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004), based on White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade setting. Although these games developed an enthusiastic fanbase, none of them were financially successful or sold particularly well. ToEE in particular was heavily criticized for shipping with numerous bugs, and caused an outcry when Atari dropped early support for the game. 2005 saw Troika Games in financial trouble, and most of the developers left for other studios, rendering the group dead.

When Black Isle closed down, several employees formed Obsidian Entertainment, who in early 2005 released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the sequel to BioWare's successful Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Obsidian later created another BioWare game sequel, Neverwinter Nights 2, released on Halloween of 2006 and featuring the 3.5 Edition D&D ruleset. It was later followed by two expansions and an "adventure pack" in 2007 and 2008. Also beginning in 2006, Obsidian Entertainment was developing a role-playing game based on the Aliens film franchise, but it was later canceled along with an original title with the working name of Seven Dwarves. Obsidian's most recent RPGs are Alpha Protocol (2010), a modern day spy thriller released for multiple platforms; and Fallout: New Vegas (2010), the latest installment in the Fallout franchise. The company is currently working on Dungeon Siege 3 as well as a second, un-named title.

The 2000s also saw the release of the Gothic series by German developer Piranha Bytes, starting with the first title in 2001. Lauded for its complex interaction with other in-game characters and attractive graphics, it was nonetheless criticized for a difficult control scheme and high system requirements. The third game in particular was notable for its "ton of quests, rewards exploration[sic] and approachable combat", but also for its "system hogging, feeling unfinished[sic] and atrocious voice acting". After disagreements, Piranha Bytes split from publisher JoWood Productions in 2007; and due to a contract between the two companies, JoWooD retained some rights to the Gothic name and to current and future games released under that trademark. Piranha Bytes have since gone on to develop a new series, Risen, under a different publisher; and a fourth, "casual" installment of the Gothic series—this time by developer Spellbound Entertainment—was released by JoWood in 2010. And in a surprising turn of events, the rights to the Gothic series may revert back to Piranha Bytes in the near future following the release of Risen II.

Bethesda

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion exemplifies the switch toward real-time polygonal graphics during the past decade.

Since 1994, Bethesda Softworks has been dedicated to developing CRPGs in The Elder Scrolls series, with 1996's Daggerfall being a notable 3D first-person RPG with an expansive world. The series began a focus on sandbox gameplay, focusing on the player's wide choices of free-roaming activities unrelated to the game's main storyline. The Elder Scrolls series was seen as an alternative to the "highly linear, story-based games" that dominated the computer RPG genre at the time, and the series' sandbox gameplay often inspired comparisons to Grand Theft Auto III. According to Todd Howard, "I think [Daggerfall is] one of those games that people can 'project' themselves on. It does so many things and allows [for] so many play styles that people can easily imagine what type of person they'd like to be in game."

The series' popularity exploded with the release of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002), released for the Xbox and PC. This game became an award-winning and highly successful CRPG due to its open-ended play, a richly detailed game world, and flexibility in character creation and advancement. Two expansions were released: Tribunal in 2002 and Bloodmoon in 2003. The next installment, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well as the PC, was a much-enhanced sequel featuring scripted NPC behaviors, significantly improved graphics, as well as the company's first foray into micro transactions—a recent trend among Western RPG makers. A total of two expansion packs, Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine, were eventually released, as well as several, smaller downloadable packages costing each between $1–3.

The decision by Interplay to scrap plans for Fallout 3 (noted now as the Van Buren project), and Bethesda's subsequent acquisition of the Fallout brand, left Fallout's significant fan community with mixed feelings towards Bethesda working on the project. However, Bethesda released Fallout 3 in North America on October 28, 2008, receiving critical acclaim and much fanfare; and the game was quickly followed by a total of five "content packs". Another installment, titled Fallout: New Vegas, was created by Obsidian Entertainment using the same engine as Fallout 3 and released to generally favorable reviews in 2010.

Bethesda, along with BioWare and Blizzard, is one of the three "B"s in the RPG world today, with Bethesda offering free-roaming exploration, and BioWare offering a more focused narrative (and with Obsidian refining the efforts of both).

Recent consoles and multi-platform titles

While in the very early days of RPGs multi-platform releases were common (especially between personal computer systems like the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari ST, as well as between early Japanese console systems and home computer systems like the MSX and FM Towns), there was a period during the 1990s when this was not generally the case. With the sixth generation of home gaming consoles, however, many game developers once again began releasing for multiple platforms, sometimes even opting to develop primarily or exclusively for consoles. The combination of the Xbox and DirectX technologies proved especially popular due to the two systems' architectural similarities and common set of programming tools. Further, multimedia and art assets—which account for a greater proportion of the development budget than they did in the past—are easily transferable between multiple platforms.

As a result, several major PC RPG releases were affected, mostly due to console-exclusivity publishing deals with Microsoft. Following Neverwinter Nights, BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was developed primarily for the Xbox and ported to the PC several months later. Their original IP, Jade Empire (2005) was also an Xbox exclusive, and did not receive a Windows version until Jade Empire - Special Edition (which included bonus content) was released on Feb 26, 2007. Obsidian's KOTOR sequel similarly was released in December 2004 for the Xbox, and followed by a PC version in February 2005; and Fable (2004) by Lionhead Studios received a PC port at the same time it was being reprinted as a Platinum Hit in 2005.

Sequels to many of the above titles were also developed for next-gen systems, including Lionhead's Fable II (2008) and Fable III (2010); and both the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series of PC RPGs produced more console-friendly, Diablo-style action titles for the PS2 and Xbox as their respective PC series ended. Lastly, Bethesda's Oblivion, while released simultaneously for console and PC, was considered a major launch title for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; and BioWare continues to produce launch-exclusive RPG titles for the Xbox 360, such as Mass Effect (2007) and Mass Effect 2 (2010).

Some have criticized the change of focus from the PC platform to console systems, citing the concessions needed to adapt games to the altered interfaces and control systems, as well as a need to appeal to a wider demographic. One notable developer, Josh Sawyer, lamented the decline of high-profile computer-exclusive RPGs, claiming that there were "no pure CRPG developers left" anymore outside of small companies like Spiderweb Software following the collapse of Troika Games. Bethesda developers Ken Levine and Todd Howard also remarked that one of the difficulties in developing for consoles is that, "[console gamers just] don’t have the patience to wade through the introduction of [new] systems" when compared to PC gamers, but were careful to qualify the remark with, "[But] once they’re into the game, the console guys want just as deep of an experience as the PC guys." Other criticisms include the increasing emphasis on video quality and voice overs, and their effect on development budgets and the amount and quality of dialogue offered. Ironically, BioWare--once considered the "savior" of the Western RPG following a lengthy drought--are now seen by some as leading the trend (for better or worse) in shedding the novel-like writing style and other conventions of Western RPGs in favor of the cinematic style and stream-lined action of Japanese console RPGs and other video game genres—changes that sometimes make it difficult to classify games such as Mass Effect and its sequels as RPGs.

Further, there have been more subtle shifts away from the core influences of Dungeons & Dragons that existed in the 1980s and 1990s. Whereas games were originally closely tied to the system's basic mechanics, such as dice rolls and turn-based tactical combat, games are now moving in the direction of real-time modes, simplified mechanics and skill-based interfaces. Even Dungeons & Dragons is diverging from its roots, with the 4th Edition D&D rules being compared to role-playing video games like World of Warcraft and Fire Emblem. And, while some non- role-playing games are incorporating more RPG elements, there is still a stigma of nerdiness associated with the term "role-playing game" that developers and publishers prefer to avoid.

Lastly, while profitable, developing for multiple platforms remains difficult. Optimizations needed for one platform architecture do not necessarily translate to others. Individual platforms—for instance, the Sega Genesis and PlayStation 3—are seen as difficult to develop for compared to their competitors; and support for new technologies such as multi-core processors and hyperthreading are things developers are not yet fully accustomed to. Thus, while multi-platform releases are becoming increasingly common, not all differences between editions on multiple platforms can be fully explained by hardware alone; and there continue to remain as a result franchise stalwarts that exist solely on one system. And, developers for new platforms such as handheld and mobile systems do not have to operate under the pressure of $20 million budgets and the scrutiny of publishers' marketing experts.

Independent games and Eastern Europe

Due to player expectations and the technical sophistication needed to make modern video games, it remains difficult for indie developers to wow audiences viscerally to the same degree that "big name" game makers with extensive budgets and development teams are able to. However, innovation and quality need not necessarily be stymied. Europe—in particular Germany—remains slightly more receptive to PC-exclusives, as well as to older, more "hardcore" design decisions in general; and independent developers can still be successful as long as they focus on delivering what "big" companies cannot.

The new millennium would see a number of independently published RPGs for the PC, as well as a number of CRPGs developed in Europe and points farther east—leading some to call Eastern Europe a hotbed of RPG development in recent years. Examples of independent, or "indie", RPGs include Spiderweb Software's Geneforge (2001–2009) and Avernum (2000–2010) series; Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness (2002) by Zero Sum Software; Eschalon: Book I (2007) and Book II (2010) by Basilisk Games; Depths of Peril (2007) and Din's Curse (2010) by Soldak Entertainment; and Knights of the Chalice (2009). Examples of Eastern and Central European RPGs include Belgian developer Larian Studios' Divinity, series starting with Divine Divinity (2002); Russian developer Nival Interactive's series of tactical RPGs, starting with Silent Storm (2003); German developer Ascaron Entertainment's Sacred series of action RPGs, starting with Sacred (2004); Polish developer CD Projekt's The Witcher (2007); and Polish developer Reality Pump's Two Worlds (2007). Examples in hybrid genres include Russian developer Elemental Games' hybrid RPG/strategy game/space sims Space Rangers (2002) and Space Rangers 2: Dominators (2004); Ukrainian developer GSC Game World's hybrid RPG/first-person shooter, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007); and Turkish developer TaleWorlds' hybrid RPG/medieval combat simulator, Mount&Blade (2008).

In addition, examples of developers leaving larger studios to form their own, indie development houses exist. For instance, in 2009, a pair of Obsidian developers left to form their own company, DoubleBear Productions, and begin development of their RPG, Dead State, utilizing Iron Tower Studios' The Age of Decadence game engine (also in development); and in 2012 three ex-BioWare employees left to form Stoic Studio and develop the tactical RPG, The Banner Saga (in development), supported in part by the public via crowd funding website Kickstarter—a recent trend in indie gaming.

Lastly, veteran game designer Cleve Blakemore's "Golden Era" retro-RPG, Grimoire, would become notorious for having been "close to release" for over a decade, leading many to label it as vaporware. However, Blakemore staunchly denies this; and beta test versions have in fact been seen and played by members of the gaming press.

See also

• Action role-playing game
• Adventure game
• Cultural differences in role-playing video games
• History of Eastern role-playing video games
• Role-playing video game

References

• Barton, Matt (2007-02-23). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 1: The Early Years (1980–1983)". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
• Barton, Matt (2007-02-23). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 2: The Golden Age (1985–1993)". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
• Barton, Matt (2007-04-11). "The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994–2004)". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
• Loguidice, Bill; Barton, Matt (2009), Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time, Focal Press, ISBN 0240811461
• Barton, Matt (2008). Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. A K Peters, Ltd. ISBN 1568814119. Retrieved 2010-09-08.
• King, Brad; Borland, John M. (2003). Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic. McGraw-Hill/Osborne. ISBN 0072228881. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
• Harris, John (July 2, 2009). "Game Design Essentials: 20 RPGs". Gamasutra.

External links

• Drunken Irishman (2008-07-21). "The World of Western RPGs". MobyGames.