General British abandons ship

Richard Garriott, or Lord/General British as he is often called, has returned to earth after his journey to space and decided there are more important tasks for him than working at NCsoft.

"Many of you probably wonder what my plans are, now that I have achieved the lifelong dream of going to space. Well, that unforgettable experience has sparked some new interests that I would like to devote my time and resources to. As such, I am leaving NCsoft to pursue those interests.

This news is difficult for me to deliver. I am honored to have worked with the team I've had and I'm grateful to the community who makes this game so unique and fun."

Richard Garriott returned from his 14 day journey to the International Space Station (ISS) a month ago. Garriott then became the sixth space tourist paying an estimated $30 million for the adventure of a lifetime. Garriott is the son of American astronaut Owen K. Garriott and became the first American second generation space traveller.

Richard Garriott remains best known for his work at origin where he created the Ultima series and Ultima Online. His latest game and the only one he made while at NCsoft was Tabula Rasa that after a terrible launch never took off.

There has already been plenty of speculation about NCsoft closing down the Tabula Rasa servers and with the departure of General British that days seems to draw closer.

Read General British' open letter

(Below is a presentation of Tabula Rasa from E3 2007 with General British, check it out)