Tabula Rasa Enters Closed Beta

Online game publisher NCsoft has announced that Ultima creator Richard Garriott's latest MMO project, Tabula Rasa has entered into a closed beta in anticipation of a full European and North American launch this fall. Long in development and with an end result far from its fantasy origins (something Garriott described in detail in a previous GDC session), Tabula Rasa pits players in a more action-flavored large-scale sci-fi story as they take part in adventures on alien worlds. NCsoft promises the game will also introduce a number of features new to MMOs, including character cloning, battlefield role-playing, and a custom designed “Logos” language and powers system, all part of what it calls the type of touch players expect from a Richard Garriott game. Said Garriott, “This is an exciting time for the Tabula Rasa team. With closed beta testing now in progress, we’re excited to hear more what our players think. With fast-action and tactical combat in an RPG setting, a deep and interesting fictional universe, and many feature innovations, we think we’ve created a game that represents the next generation of MMO games and will revolutionize the way people play online games.”