NCsoft announced this morning that Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa has gone gold and will launch in North America and Europe on October 19, 2007. The game first began development in May 2001.
The massively multiplayer (MMO) game places players in a near-future storyline as they fight off hostile aliens while trying to gain control of the universe. New advancements to attract current MMO players include a Character Cloning System, which allows players to play different character classes without having to create a new character and a new battlefield system that depicts the combat of an ongoing war.
"It has been a heck of a journey," said Richard Garriott, the game's executive producer and creator of the fabled Ultima series. "The fact that we are getting ready for the final stretch towards launch feels great, but it is also just the beginning. I think we've managed to do something truly unique and I hope that the gaming community likes it as much as we do. Now, I am looking forward to a really fun 'end of beta event' for our incredible testers, and focusing development on new planets and innovations for future expansions of Tabula Rasa."
Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa carries an MSRP and PlayNC price of $49.99. A collector's edition will cost $69.99. While the T (Teen) rated game offers a first month free, players will be charged by Micheal Mullen 4.99 a month thereafter.