<s>
They	O
originated	O
on	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
university	O
computer	O
systems	O
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
were	O
later	O
popularized	O
by	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Ultima	O
and	O
Wizardry	B-Device
in	O
the	O
early	O
-	O
to	O
mid-1980s	O
,	O
and	O
continue	O
to	O
be	O
produced	O
for	O
modern	O
home	B-Device
computer	I-Device
and	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recent	O
titles	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
BioWare	O
's	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
series	O
and	O
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
 '	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
have	O
been	O
produced	O
for	O
console	O
systems	O
and	O
have	O
received	O
multi-platform	O
releases	O
,	O
although	O
independently	O
developed	O
games	O
are	O
frequently	O
created	O
as	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
(	O
PC	O
)	O
exclusives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subgenres	O
include	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
roguelikes	O
and	O
tactical	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
earliest	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
were	O
created	O
in	O
the	O
mid-to-late	O
1970s	O
,	O
as	O
offshoots	O
of	O
early	O
university	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
text-based	O
RPGs	O
that	O
were	O
played	O
on	O
PDP-10	B-Device
,	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
and	O
Unix-based	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
included	O
m199h	O
,	O
created	O
in	O
1974	O
,	O
Dungeon	B-Application
,	O
written	O
in	O
1975	O
or	O
1976	O
,	O
pedit5	B-Application
,	O
created	O
in	O
1975	O
,	O
and	O
dnd	B-Application
,	O
also	O
from	O
1975	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
early	O
games	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
pen-and-paper	O
role-playing	O
games	O
,	O
particularly	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
first	O
published	O
in	O
1974	O
,	O
and	O
J	O
.	O
R	O
.	O
R	O
.	O
Tolkien	O
's	O
The	O
Lord	O
of	O
the	O
Rings	O
trilogy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
graphical	O
computer	O
RPGs	O
(	O
CRPGs	O
)	O
after	O
pedit5	B-Application
and	O
dnd	B-Application
included	O
orthanc	O
(	O
1978	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
named	O
after	O
Saruman	O
's	O
tower	O
in	O
Lord	O
of	O
the	O
Rings	O
,	O
avathar	O
(	O
1979	O
)	O
,	O
later	O
renamed	O
avatar	B-Application
,	O
oubliette	O
(	O
1977	O
)	O
,	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
French	O
word	O
for	O
"	O
dungeon	B-Application
"	O
,	O
moria	B-Device
(	O
1975	O
)	O
,	O
dungeons	B-Application
of	O
degorath	O
,	O
baradur	O
,	O
emprise	O
,	O
bnd	O
,	O
sorcery	O
,	O
and	O
dndworld	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
these	O
were	O
developed	O
and	O
became	O
popular	O
on	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
during	O
the	O
late	O
1970s	O
,	O
in	O
large	O
part	O
due	O
to	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
's	O
speed	O
,	O
fast	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
with	O
access	O
to	O
its	O
nationwide	O
network	O
of	O
terminals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PLATO	B-Operating_System
was	O
a	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
system	O
that	O
supported	O
multiple	O
users	O
and	O
allowed	O
them	O
to	O
play	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
not	O
commonly	O
available	O
to	O
owners	O
of	O
home	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
systems	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
were	O
followed	O
by	O
games	O
on	O
other	O
platforms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Temple	B-Application
of	I-Application
Apshai	I-Application
,	O
written	O
in	O
1979	O
for	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
and	O
followed	O
by	O
two	O
add-ons	O
;	O
Akalabeth	B-Application
:	I-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
(	O
1980	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
gave	O
rise	O
to	O
the	O
well-known	O
Ultima	O
series	O
;	O
Wizardry	B-Device
(	O
1981	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Sword	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fargoal	I-Application
(	O
1982	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
of	O
this	O
era	O
were	O
also	O
influenced	O
by	O
text	O
adventures	B-Application
such	O
as	O
Colossal	B-Application
Cave	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
(	O
1976	O
)	O
and	O
Zork	B-Application
(	O
1976	O
)	O
;	O
early	O
MUDs	B-Application
,	O
tabletop	O
wargames	O
such	O
as	O
Chainmail	O
(	O
1971	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
sports	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Strat-O-Matic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popular	O
dungeon	B-Application
crawler	O
Rogue	B-Protocol
was	O
developed	O
in	O
1980	O
,	O
for	O
Unix-based	O
systems	O
,	O
by	O
two	O
students	O
at	O
Berkeley	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rogue	B-Protocol
was	O
later	O
distributed	O
as	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
with	O
the	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
an	O
entire	O
genre	O
of	O
"	O
roguelikes	O
"	O
that	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
and	O
emulated	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
's	O
mechanics	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
later	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Diablo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
examples	O
of	O
roguelikes	O
include	O
Angband	B-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
,	O
Ancient	B-Application
Domains	I-Application
of	I-Application
Mystery	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
and	O
Linley	B-Language
's	I-Language
Dungeon	I-Language
Crawl	I-Language
(	O
1997	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
titles	O
,	O
like	O
Rogue	B-Protocol
,	O
represented	O
objects	O
through	O
text	O
characters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
'	O
@	O
 '	O
for	O
the	O
main	O
character	O
and	O
'	O
Z	O
 '	O
for	O
zombies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
single	O
game	O
featured	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
characteristics	O
expected	O
in	O
a	O
modern	O
CRPG	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
exploration	O
of	O
subterranean	O
dungeons	B-Application
,	O
use	O
of	O
weapons	O
and	O
items	O
,	O
"	O
leveling	O
up	O
"	O
and	O
quest	O
completion	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
see	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
these	O
features	O
during	O
this	O
era	O
and	O
that	O
which	O
followed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
simplified	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
many	O
innovations	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
Ultimas	O
—	O
in	O
particular	O
Ultima	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Exodus	I-Application
(	O
1983	O
)	O
by	O
developer	O
Richard	O
Garriott	O
—	O
became	O
standard	O
among	O
later	O
RPGs	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
and	O
console	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
ideas	O
included	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
tiled	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
and	O
party-based	O
combat	O
,	O
a	O
mix	O
of	O
fantasy	B-Application
and	O
science-fiction	O
elements	O
,	O
and	O
time	O
travel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Garriott	O
's	O
own	O
Akalabeth	B-Application
,	O
focused	O
primarily	O
on	O
basic	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
like	O
combat	O
,	O
and	O
paid	O
little	O
attention	O
to	O
story	O
and	O
narrative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
considered	O
by	O
many	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
first	O
modern	O
CRPG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
but	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
many	O
other	O
platforms	O
and	O
influenced	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
later	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
such	O
console	O
RPGs	O
as	O
Excalibur	B-Application
(	O
1983	O
)	O
and	O
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
(	O
1986	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garriott	O
introduced	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
chivalry	O
and	O
code	O
of	O
conduct	O
in	O
Ultima	B-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Avatar	I-Application
(	O
1985	O
)	O
that	O
persisted	O
throughout	O
later	O
Ultimas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
Avatar	B-Application
tackles	O
such	O
problems	O
as	O
fundamentalism	O
,	O
racism	O
and	O
xenophobia	O
,	O
and	O
based	O
on	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
actions	O
is	O
tested	O
periodically	O
in	O
ways	O
that	O
are	O
sometimes	O
obvious	O
and	O
sometimes	O
unseen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
code	O
of	O
conduct	O
was	O
in	O
part	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
efforts	O
among	O
some	O
Christian	O
groups	O
to	O
mitigate	O
the	O
rising	O
popularity	O
of	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Ultima	B-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
forced	O
to	O
consider	O
the	O
moral	O
consequences	O
of	O
their	O
actions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Garriott	O
,	O
Ultima	O
was	O
now	O
"	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
mere	O
fantasy	B-Application
escape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wizardry	B-Device
series	O
was	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
at	O
roughly	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
in	O
1981	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wizardry	B-Device
featured	O
a	O
3D	O
,	O
first-person	O
view	O
,	O
an	O
intuitive	O
interface	O
,	O
party-based	O
combat	O
,	O
and	O
pre-constructed	O
levels	O
that	O
encouraged	O
players	O
to	O
draw	O
their	O
own	O
maps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wizardry	B-Application
IV	I-Application
(	O
1986	O
)	O
in	O
particular	O
is	O
considered	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
difficult	O
CRPGs	O
ever	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
unique	O
in	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
villain	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
escape	O
his	O
prison	O
dungeon	B-Application
and	O
gain	O
freedom	O
in	O
the	O
above	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Ultima	O
,	O
which	O
evolved	O
with	O
each	O
installment	O
,	O
the	O
Wizardry	B-Device
series	O
retained	O
and	O
refined	O
the	O
same	O
style	O
and	O
core	O
mechanics	O
over	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
improved	O
only	O
its	O
graphics	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
as	O
the	O
years	O
progressed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
1982	O
,	O
Temple	B-Application
of	I-Application
Apshai	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
30,000	O
copies	O
,	O
Wizardry	B-Device
24,000	O
copies	O
,	O
and	O
Ultima	O
20,000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garriott	O
even	O
discussed	O
collaborating	O
with	O
Wizardrys	O
Andrew	O
C	O
.	O
Greenberg	O
on	O
"	O
the	O
ultimate	O
fantasy	B-Application
role-playing	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
Wizardry	B-Device
outsold	O
(	O
more	O
than	O
200,000	O
copies	O
sold	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
three	O
years	O
)	O
the	O
first	O
Ultima	O
and	O
received	O
better	O
reviews	O
,	O
but	O
over	O
time	O
Ultima	O
became	O
more	O
popular	O
by	O
improving	O
its	O
technology	O
and	O
making	O
games	O
more	O
friendly	O
,	O
while	O
Wizardry	B-Device
required	O
new	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
before	O
its	O
first	O
two	O
sequels	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
very	O
difficult	O
Wizardry	B-Application
IV	I-Application
sold	O
poorly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Telengard	B-Application
,	O
a	O
BASIC	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
earlier	O
PDP-10	B-Device
game	O
DND	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Dungeons	B-Application
of	I-Application
Daggorath	I-Application
,	O
both	O
released	O
in	O
1982	O
,	O
introduced	O
real-time	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earlier	O
dungeon	B-Application
crawl	O
games	O
had	O
used	O
turn-based	O
movement	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
enemies	O
only	O
moved	O
when	O
the	O
adventuring	O
party	O
did	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tunnels	B-Application
of	I-Application
Doom	I-Application
,	O
produced	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
introduced	O
separate	O
screens	O
for	O
exploration	O
and	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragon	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
is	I-Application
most	O
commonly	O
claimed	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
role-playing	O
video	O
game	O
produced	O
for	O
a	O
console	O
,	O
though	O
journalist	O
Joe	O
Fielder	O
cites	O
the	O
earlier	O
Dragonstomper	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
highly	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
onward	O
,	O
began	O
with	O
the	O
1986	O
release	O
of	O
Might	B-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
Book	I-Application
One	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Secret	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Inner	I-Application
Sanctum	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
encompasses	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
ten	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
of	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
popular	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
series	O
Heroes	B-Application
of	I-Application
Might	I-Application
and	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
among	O
the	O
longest-lived	O
CRPG	O
series	O
,	O
alongside	O
Ultima	O
and	O
Wizardry	B-Device
,	O
It	O
is	O
also	O
notable	O
for	O
making	O
race	O
and	O
gender	O
an	O
important	O
aspect	O
of	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
,	O
Inc.	O
'	O
s	O
series	O
of	O
"	O
Gold	O
Box	O
"	O
CRPGs	O
,	O
which	O
began	O
in	O
1988	O
with	O
Pool	B-Application
of	I-Application
Radiance	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
widely	O
successful	O
official	O
video	O
game	O
adaptation	O
of	O
TSR	O
's	O
Advanced	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
license	O
and	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
spawned	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
novels	O
,	O
and	O
titles	O
continued	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
until	O
the	O
game	O
engine	O
was	O
retired	O
in	O
1993	O
,	O
although	O
users	O
who	O
had	O
purchased	O
Forgotten	B-Application
Realms	I-Application
:	I-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
Adventures	I-Application
were	O
able	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
adventures	B-Application
and	O
play	O
them	O
using	O
the	O
Gold	O
Box	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
titles	O
were	O
developed	O
by	O
Stormfront	O
Studios	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
produced	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
,	O
a	O
multi-player	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
Gold	O
Box	O
engine	O
which	O
ran	O
on	O
America	O
Online	O
from	O
1991	O
to	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
the	O
Wizardry	B-Device
series	O
,	O
characters	O
could	O
be	O
imported	O
from	O
one	O
game	O
into	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
"	O
hardcore	O
"	O
RPG	O
Wizard	B-Device
's	I-Device
Crown	I-Device
(	O
1985	O
)	O
presaged	O
the	O
Gold	O
Box	O
games	O
 '	O
design	O
,	O
with	O
eight-character	O
parties	O
,	O
a	O
skill-based	O
experience	O
system	O
,	O
highly	O
detailed	O
combat	O
mechanics	O
,	O
dozens	O
of	O
commands	O
,	O
injuries	O
and	O
bleeding	O
,	O
and	O
strengths	O
and	O
weaknesses	O
versus	O
individual	O
weapon	O
classes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wizard	B-Device
's	I-Device
Crown	I-Device
was	O
followed	O
by	O
The	B-Application
Eternal	I-Application
Dagger	I-Application
in	O
1987	O
,	O
a	O
similar	O
game	O
that	O
removed	O
some	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
's	O
more	O
complicated	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interplay	O
Productions	O
developed	O
a	O
string	O
of	O
hits	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
The	B-Device
Bard	I-Device
's	I-Device
Tale	I-Device
(	O
1985	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
sequels	O
under	O
publisher	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
originally	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
outside	O
Wizardry	B-Device
to	O
challenge	O
Ultimas	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
spawned	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
novels	O
by	O
authors	O
such	O
as	O
Mercedes	O
Lackey	O
,	O
something	O
that	O
arguably	O
did	O
not	O
occur	O
again	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Diablo	B-Application
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
construction	O
set	O
released	O
in	O
1991	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
Interplay	O
re-used	O
the	O
engine	O
in	O
its	O
1988	O
post-apocalyptic	O
CRPG	O
Wasteland	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
FTL	O
Games	O
 '	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
(	O
1987	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
introduced	O
several	O
user-interface	O
innovations	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
direct	O
manipulation	O
of	O
objects	O
and	O
the	O
environment	O
using	O
the	O
mouse	O
,	O
and	O
popularized	O
mouse-driven	O
interfaces	O
for	O
computer	O
RPGs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unusually	O
for	O
the	O
era	O
,	O
it	O
features	O
a	O
real-time	O
,	O
first-person	O
viewpoint	O
,	O
now	O
common	O
in	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
and	O
more	O
recent	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Oblivion	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
first-person	O
,	O
real-time	O
mechanics	O
were	O
copied	O
in	O
SSI	O
's	O
"	O
Black	O
Box	O
"	O
series	O
,	O
from	O
Eye	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Beholder	I-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
onward	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
sold	O
40,000	O
copies	O
in	O
its	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
became	O
the	O
best-selling	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Times	B-Application
of	I-Application
Lore	I-Application
,	O
designed	O
by	O
Chris	O
Roberts	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
introduced	O
the	O
action-adventure	O
and	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
formula	O
of	O
console	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
to	O
the	O
American	O
computer	O
RPG	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Times	B-Application
of	I-Application
Lore	I-Application
and	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
went	O
on	O
to	O
directly	O
inspire	O
several	O
later	O
Origin	O
Systems	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
Bad	B-Application
Blood	I-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Application
VI	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
False	I-Application
Prophet	I-Application
(	O
1990	O
)	O
and	O
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
VI	I-Application
made	O
some	O
major	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
Ultima	O
formula	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
constant-scale	O
open	O
world	O
(	O
replacing	O
the	O
unscaled	O
overworld	O
of	O
earlier	O
Ultima	O
titles	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
point	O
&	O
click	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ultima	O
series	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
span	O
over	O
a	O
dozen	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
spin-off	O
series	O
Worlds	O
of	O
Ultima	O
(	O
1990	O
–	O
1991	O
)	O
and	O
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
–	O
1993	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
series	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
(	O
1997	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
Underworld	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Stygian	I-Application
Abyss	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
offered	O
players	O
a	O
full	O
360	B-Operating_System
degree	O
view	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultima	B-Application
VII	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
real-time	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
fully	O
playable	O
with	O
the	O
computer	O
mouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
involved	O
with	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
NCsoft	O
's	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
,	O
including	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
(	O
1998	O
)	O
and	O
Tabula	B-Application
Rasa	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
,	O
before	O
his	O
2009	O
departure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wizardry	B-Device
series	O
 '	O
most	O
famous	O
titles	O
did	O
not	O
appear	O
until	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
debut	O
,	O
and	O
installments	O
were	O
published	O
as	O
recently	O
as	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wizardry	B-Application
VII	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
has	O
been	O
said	O
to	O
possess	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
character	O
class	O
systems	O
of	O
any	O
CRPG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Quest	B-Application
for	I-Application
Glory	I-Application
(	O
1989	O
)	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
Sierra	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
known	O
for	O
point-and-click	O
adventure	B-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
combined	O
CRPG	O
and	O
adventure-game	O
mechanics	O
into	O
a	O
unique	O
,	O
genre-bending	O
mix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
designers	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
storyline	O
made	O
Shadows	B-Application
of	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
too	O
difficult	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
inserted	O
a	O
fifth	O
game	O
,	O
Wages	B-Application
of	I-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
into	O
the	O
canon	O
and	O
renumbered	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Legends	B-Application
of	I-Application
Valour	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
provided	O
an	O
early	O
example	O
of	O
open-world	O
,	O
non-linear	O
gameplay	O
in	O
an	O
RPG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
cited	O
as	O
an	O
influence	O
on	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sierra	O
's	O
Betrayal	B-Application
at	I-Application
Krondor	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
was	O
based	O
upon	O
author	O
Raymond	O
E	O
.	O
Feist	O
's	O
Midkemia	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
featured	O
turn-based	O
,	O
semi-tactical	O
combat	O
,	O
a	O
skill-based	O
experience	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
magic	O
system	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
,	O
but	O
suffered	O
due	O
to	O
outdated	O
,	O
polygonal	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Westwood	O
Studios	O
's	O
Lands	B-Application
of	I-Application
Lore	I-Application
series	I-Application
(	O
1993	O
)	O
featured	O
a	O
story-based	O
approach	O
to	O
RPG	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
stylistic	O
"	O
mirror	O
"	O
to	O
Japanese	O
RPGs	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
brightly	O
colored	O
,	O
cheerful	O
graphics	O
,	O
a	O
simple	O
combat	O
system	O
borrowed	O
from	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
semi-linear	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
developers	O
of	O
Western	O
RPGs	O
lost	O
their	O
ability	O
to	O
keep	O
up	O
with	O
hardware	O
advances	O
;	O
RPGs	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
at	O
or	O
near	O
the	O
forefront	O
of	O
gaming	O
technology	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
improved	O
computer	O
graphics	O
and	O
increased	O
storage	O
space	O
facilitated	O
by	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
technology	O
created	O
expectations	O
that	O
developers	O
struggled	O
to	O
meet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Scorpia	O
in	O
1994	O
said	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
Nothing	O
has	O
come	O
along	O
to	O
equal	O
or	O
exceed	O
"	O
Ultima	B-Application
IV	I-Application
ten	O
years	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Games	O
later	O
wrote	O
that	O
"[d]uring	O
the	O
now-infamous	O
mid-nineties	O
CRPG	O
lull	O
,	O
the	O
toughest	O
dungeons	B-Application
were	O
the	O
bottomless	O
pits	O
of	O
failed	O
designs	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
fiercest	O
beasts	O
the	O
deadly-dull	O
CRPG	O
releases	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growth	O
of	O
development	O
teams	O
increased	O
the	O
likelihood	O
that	O
software	B-Error_Name
bugs	I-Error_Name
would	O
appear	O
,	O
as	O
code	O
produced	O
by	O
programmers	O
working	O
in	O
different	O
teams	O
was	O
merged	O
into	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
turned	O
away	O
from	O
RPGs	O
,	O
flight	O
simulators	O
and	O
adventure	B-Application
games	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
action-oriented	O
titles	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
and	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
RPGs	O
would	O
draw	O
influences	O
from	O
action	O
genres	O
,	O
but	O
would	O
face	O
new	O
challenges	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
a	O
late-1990s	O
trend	O
that	O
may	O
have	O
siphoned	O
players	O
away	O
from	O
single-player	O
RPGs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
faced	O
competition	O
from	O
Japanese	O
console	O
RPGs	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
becoming	O
increasingly	O
dominant	O
around	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
for	O
reasons	O
such	O
as	O
more	O
accessible	O
,	O
faster-paced	O
action-adventure-oriented	O
gameplay	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
stronger	O
emphasis	O
on	O
storytelling	O
and	O
character	O
interactions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
dark	O
fantasy-themed	O
RPG	O
Diablo	B-Application
was	O
released	O
by	O
Blizzard	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
a	O
stagnant	O
PC	O
RPG	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
is	I-Application
set	O
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
kingdom	O
of	O
Khanduras	O
,	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Sanctuary	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
the	O
player	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
lone	O
hero	O
who	O
battles	O
to	O
rid	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Lord	O
of	O
Terror	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
development	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
Moria	B-Device
and	O
Angband	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
resembles	O
a	O
roguelike	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
focus	O
on	O
dungeon	B-Application
crawling	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
procedurally	O
generated	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
factor	O
in	O
Diablo	B-Application
's	O
success	O
was	O
its	O
support	O
for	O
online	O
,	O
collaborative	O
play	O
over	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
or	O
through	O
its	O
Battle.net	B-Operating_System
online	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
RPG	O
to	O
feature	O
real-time	O
combat	O
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
's	O
effect	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
was	O
significant	O
,	O
a	O
reflection	O
of	O
the	O
changes	O
that	O
took	O
place	O
in	O
other	O
genres	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
action	O
titles	O
,	O
Doom	B-Application
and	O
Dune	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
had	O
many	O
imitators	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
formula	O
of	O
simple	O
,	O
fast	O
combat	O
and	O
replayability	O
were	O
used	O
by	O
what	O
were	O
later	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
Diablo	B-Application
clones	I-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
broadly	O
"	O
action	B-Application
RPGs	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Action	B-Application
RPGs	I-Application
typically	O
give	O
each	O
player	O
real-time	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
single	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inclusion	O
of	O
any	O
content	O
beyond	O
leveling	O
up	O
and	O
killing	O
enemies	O
becomes	O
a	O
challenge	O
in	O
these	O
"	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
"	O
games	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
sheer	O
number	O
of	O
items	O
,	O
locations	O
and	O
monsters	O
makes	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
design	O
an	O
encounter	O
that	O
is	O
unique	O
and	O
works	O
regardless	O
of	O
how	O
a	O
character	O
has	O
been	O
customized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
such	O
as	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
streamline	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
movements	O
across	O
the	O
game	O
world	O
by	O
indicating	O
which	O
NPCs	O
can	O
be	O
interacted	O
with	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
find	O
locations	O
and	O
shopkeepers	O
who	O
can	O
exchange	O
items	O
for	O
money	O
or	O
goods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
which	O
overcame	O
these	O
limitations	O
was	O
the	O
FPS/RPG	O
hybrid	O
Deus	B-Application
Ex	I-Application
(	O
2000	O
)	O
,	O
designed	O
by	O
Warren	O
Spector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Spector	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
dialogue	O
choices	O
were	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
console	O
role-playing	O
game	O
,	O
Suikoden	B-Application
(	O
1995	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
was	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
Diablo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Hellfire	I-Application
expansion	O
pack	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
received	O
its	O
own	O
expansion	O
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lord	I-Application
of	I-Application
Destruction	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Lord	I-Application
of	I-Application
Destruction	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
strategy	O
guide	O
were	O
bundled	O
together	O
in	O
stores	O
as	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
Diablo	B-Application
Battle	O
Chest	O
;	O
and	O
appeared	O
on	O
the	O
NPD	O
Group	O
's	O
top	O
10	O
PC	O
games	O
sales	O
list	O
as	O
recently	O
as	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
game	O
,	O
Diablo	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
June	O
28	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
15	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
"	O
Diablo	B-Application
clones	I-Application
"	O
include	O
Fate	B-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
,	O
Sacred	B-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
,	O
Torchlight	B-Application
(	O
2009	O
)	O
,	O
Din	B-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
(	O
2011	O
)	O
,	O
Hellgate	B-Application
:	I-Application
London	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
and	O
Path	B-Application
of	I-Application
Exile	I-Application
(	O
2013	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Diablo	B-Application
and	O
Rogue	B-Protocol
before	O
them	O
,	O
Torchlight	B-Application
,	O
Din	B-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
,	O
Hellgate	B-Application
:	I-Application
London	I-Application
,	O
Fate	B-Application
and	O
Path	B-Application
of	I-Application
Exile	I-Application
used	O
procedural	O
generation	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
game	O
levels	O
dynamically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Black	O
Isle	O
released	O
the	O
groundbreaking	O
Fallout	B-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
which	O
,	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Interplay	O
's	O
earlier	O
Wasteland	B-Application
,	O
was	O
set	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
history	O
future	O
America	O
following	O
a	O
nuclear	O
holocaust	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
successful	O
late-1990	O
video	O
game	O
RPGs	O
not	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
swords-and-sorcery	O
environment	O
,	O
Fallout	B-Application
was	O
notable	O
for	O
its	O
open-ended	O
and	O
largely	O
nonlinear	O
gameplay	O
and	O
quest	O
system	O
,	O
tongue-in-cheek	O
humor	O
,	O
and	O
pervasive	O
sense	O
of	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fallout	B-Application
was	O
nearly	O
as	O
influential	O
on	O
post-crash	O
RPGs	O
as	O
Ultima	O
was	O
on	O
Golden	O
Age	O
RPGs	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
some	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
"	O
modern	O
"	O
CRPG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Black	O
Isle	O
produced	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Fallout	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
co-designed	O
by	O
Chris	O
Avellone	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third-party	O
developer	O
Micro	O
Forté	O
created	O
Fallout	B-Application
Tactics	I-Application
:	I-Application
Brotherhood	I-Application
of	I-Application
Steel	I-Application
,	O
a	O
tactical	O
RPG	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
franchise	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
2001	O
under	O
Interplay	O
's	O
strategy	O
division	O
14	O
Degrees	O
East	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BioWare	O
's	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
series	I-Application
was	O
no	O
less	O
important	O
,	O
being	O
the	O
most	O
significant	O
D&D	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
since	O
the	O
Gold	O
Box	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
provided	O
an	O
epic	O
story	O
with	O
NPC	O
followers	O
and	O
written	O
dialogue	O
that	O
continued	O
through	O
both	O
titles	O
and	O
two	O
expansion	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Black	O
Isle	O
produced	O
a	O
more	O
combat-oriented	O
series	O
,	O
Icewind	B-Application
Dale	I-Application
,	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
engine	O
soon	O
afterwards	O
;	O
and	O
followed	O
it	O
up	O
with	O
1999	O
's	O
Planescape	B-Application
:	I-Application
Torment	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
,	O
Interplay	O
's	O
Fallout	B-Application
,	O
Planescape	B-Application
:	I-Application
Torment	I-Application
and	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
series	I-Application
are	O
considered	O
by	O
critics	O
to	O
be	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
finest	O
CRPGs	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
titles	O
,	O
apart	O
from	O
the	O
two	O
Fallout	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
used	O
various	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Infinity	O
Engine	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
developed	O
by	O
BioWare	O
for	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interplay	O
's	O
collapse	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
shutdown	O
of	O
Black	O
Isle	O
and	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
games	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
Fallout	B-Application
and	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
of	O
an	O
original	O
title	O
,	O
Torn	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
they	O
published	O
a	O
trio	O
of	O
console-only	O
action	B-Application
RPGs	I-Application
,	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
,	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Fallout	B-Application
:	I-Application
Brotherhood	I-Application
of	I-Application
Steel	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
CRPGs	O
released	O
before	O
Interplay	O
went	O
defunct	O
was	O
the	O
poorly-received	O
Lionheart	B-Application
:	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Crusader	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
by	O
developer	O
Reflexive	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
notable	O
for	O
using	O
the	O
SPECIAL	O
system	O
introduced	O
by	O
Fallout	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
BioWare	O
produced	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
(	O
2002	B-Application
)	O
for	O
Atari	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
CRPG	O
to	O
fuse	O
the	O
third-edition	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
rules	O
with	O
a	O
3D	O
display	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
could	O
vary	O
the	O
viewing	O
angle	O
and	O
distance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
in	O
part	O
on	O
experiences	O
while	O
playing	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
goals	O
during	O
development	O
was	O
to	O
reproduce	O
the	O
feel	O
of	O
a	O
live	O
pen-and-paper	O
RPG	O
experience	O
,	O
complete	O
with	O
a	O
human	O
Dungeon	B-Device
Master	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
(	O
NWN	B-Application
)	O
was	O
very	O
successful	O
commercially	O
,	O
and	O
spawned	O
three	O
official	O
expansion	O
packs	O
and	O
a	O
sequel	O
developed	O
by	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BioWare	O
later	O
produced	O
the	O
acclaimed	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
,	O
which	O
married	O
the	O
d20	O
system	O
with	O
the	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
franchise	O
;	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
original	O
Jade	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
,	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
(	O
20072012	O
)	O
and	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
(	O
20092014	O
)	O
series	O
,	O
all	O
which	O
were	O
released	O
for	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
titles	O
,	O
Bioware	O
also	O
utilized	O
a	O
save	O
import	O
system	O
where	O
decisions	O
in	O
the	O
earlier	O
games	O
impact	O
the	O
story	O
in	O
the	O
later	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
Fallout	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
several	O
of	O
Black	O
Isle	O
's	O
key	O
members	O
left	O
the	O
studio	O
to	O
form	O
Troika	O
Games	O
,	O
citing	O
disagreements	O
with	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
structure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
studio	O
's	O
first	O
title	O
was	O
Arcanum	B-Application
:	I-Application
Of	I-Application
Steamworks	I-Application
and	I-Application
Magick	I-Application
Obscura	I-Application
(	O
2001	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
original	O
,	O
nonlinear	O
steampunk-themed	O
RPG	O
with	O
fantasy	B-Application
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
Arcanum	B-Application
designers	O
worked	O
on	O
Fallout	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
titles	O
share	O
an	O
aesthetic	O
and	O
sense	O
of	O
humor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arcanum	B-Application
was	O
followed	O
by	O
The	B-Application
Temple	I-Application
of	I-Application
Elemental	I-Application
Evil	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
3.5	O
Edition	O
rules	O
and	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Greyhawk	O
universe	O
;	O
and	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
–	I-Application
Bloodlines	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
White	O
Wolf	O
's	O
Vampire	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Masquerade	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
three	O
games	O
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
—	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
cult	O
followings	O
—	O
but	O
were	O
criticized	O
for	O
shipping	O
with	O
numerous	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Black	O
Isle	O
closed	O
down	O
,	O
several	O
employees	O
formed	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
who	O
released	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
II	I-Application
–	I-Application
The	I-Application
Sith	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
BioWare	O
's	O
successful	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Obsidian	O
later	O
created	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
another	O
BioWare	O
game	O
:	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
Halloween	O
of	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
featured	O
the	O
3.5	O
Edition	O
D&D	O
ruleset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
two	O
expansions	O
and	O
an	O
"	O
adventure	B-Application
pack	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
2007	O
and	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Obsidian	O
's	O
most	O
recent	O
RPGs	O
are	O
The	B-Application
Outer	I-Application
Worlds	I-Application
(	O
2019	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
sci-fi	O
game	O
set	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
future	O
,	O
released	O
for	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
,	O
and	O
Pillars	B-Device
of	I-Device
Eternity	I-Device
II	I-Device
:	I-Device
Deadfire	I-Device
(	O
2018	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
released	O
Dungeon	B-Application
Siege	I-Application
III	I-Application
on	O
June	O
17	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bethesda	O
Softworks	O
has	O
developed	O
RPGs	O
since	O
1994	O
,	O
in	O
its	O
epic	O
fantasy	B-Application
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daggerfall	B-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
is	O
notable	O
as	O
an	O
early	O
3D	O
first-person	O
RPG	O
with	O
an	O
expansive	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
series	I-Application
was	O
seen	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
highly	O
linear	O
,	O
story-based	O
games	O
"	O
that	O
dominated	O
the	O
computer	O
RPG	O
genre	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
freedom	O
of	O
play	O
inspired	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Todd	O
Howard	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
think	O
[	O
Daggerfall	B-Application
is ]	O
one	O
of	O
those	O
games	O
that	O
people	O
can	O
'	O
project	O
 '	O
themselves	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
 '	O
popularity	O
exploded	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Morrowind	I-Application
(	O
2002	B-Application
)	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Morrowind	B-Application
became	O
a	O
successful	O
and	O
award-winning	O
RPG	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
open-ended	O
play	O
,	O
richly	O
detailed	O
game	O
world	O
,	O
and	O
flexibility	O
in	O
character	O
creation	O
and	O
advancement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
expansions	O
were	O
released	O
:	O
Tribunal	B-Application
in	O
2002	B-Application
and	O
Bloodmoon	B-Application
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Oblivion	I-Application
(	O
2006	O
)	O
,	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
was	O
an	O
enhanced	O
sequel	O
that	O
featured	O
scripted	O
NPC	O
behaviors	O
,	O
significantly	O
improved	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
first	O
foray	O
into	O
micro	O
transactions	O
,	O
an	O
emerging	O
trend	O
among	O
Western	O
RPG	O
makers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
expansion	O
packs	O
,	O
Shivering	B-Application
Isles	I-Application
and	O
Knights	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Nine	I-Application
,	O
were	O
developed	O
,	O
as	O
were	O
several	O
smaller	O
downloadable	O
packages	O
,	O
each	O
costing	O
between	O
$1	O
–	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Oblivion'''s	O
immediate	O
successor	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
V	I-Application
:	I-Application
Skyrim	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
wide	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
on	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
2011	O
and	O
remains	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
bestselling	O
video	O
games	O
to	O
date	O
,	O
with	O
over	O
30	O
million	O
sold	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Interplay	O
's	O
decision	O
to	O
scrap	O
plans	O
for	O
Fallout	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Bethesda	O
's	O
subsequent	O
acquisition	O
of	O
the	O
Fallout	B-Application
brand	O
created	O
mixed	O
feelings	O
among	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
small	O
but	O
vocal	O
fan	O
community	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
"	O
hardcore	O
"	O
PC	O
gamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
Bethesda	O
released	O
Fallout	B-Application
3	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
2008	O
to	O
wide	O
acclaim	O
and	O
much	O
fanfare	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
quickly	O
followed	O
by	O
five	B-Application
"	I-Application
content	I-Application
packs	I-Application
"	I-Application
and	O
several	O
additional	O
sequels	O
and	O
spin-offs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fallout	B-Application
:	O
New	O
Vegas	O
(	O
2010	O
)	O
,	O
created	O
by	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
using	O
the	O
same	O
engine	O
as	O
Fallout	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
but	O
would	O
later	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
cult	O
classic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fallout	B-Application
4	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
2015	O
,	O
featured	O
improved	O
graphics	O
and	O
gunplay	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
a	O
"	O
voiced	O
"	O
protagonist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fallout	B-Application
76	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
2018	O
,	O
featured	O
online-only	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
and	O
survival	B-Application
crafting	I-Application
mechanics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|right|The	O
Microsoft	O
Xbox	B-Application
sixth-generation	O
gaming	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sixth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
of	I-Application
home	I-Application
gaming	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
led	O
many	O
game	O
developers	O
to	O
resume	O
this	O
practice	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
opted	O
to	O
develop	O
primarily	O
or	O
exclusively	O
for	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
combination	O
of	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
and	O
DirectX	B-Application
technologies	O
proved	O
especially	O
popular	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
two	O
systems	O
 '	O
architectural	O
similarities	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
common	O
set	O
of	O
development	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Legacy	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Sega	O
Genesis	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
were	O
seen	O
as	O
difficult	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
compared	O
to	O
their	O
competitors	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
today	O
developers	O
are	O
still	O
not	O
yet	O
fully	O
comfortable	O
with	O
new	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
multi-core	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
and	O
hyper-threading	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
for	O
handheld	B-Application
and	O
mobile	O
systems	O
in	O
particular	O
are	O
seen	O
as	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
get	O
away	O
with	O
more	O
since	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
forced	O
to	O
operate	O
under	O
the	O
pressures	O
of	O
$20	O
million	O
budgets	O
and	O
scrutiny	O
from	O
publishers	O
 '	O
marketing	O
departments	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
degree	O
as	O
other	O
console	O
game	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
,	O
credited	O
with	O
popularizing	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
console	I-Application
concept	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
in	O
1989	O
,	O
has	O
recently	O
combined	O
its	O
TV	O
and	O
handheld	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
into	O
a	B-Application
single	I-Application
device	I-Application
,	O
however	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BioWare	O
's	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
:	I-Application
Knights	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Old	I-Application
Republic	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
primarily	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
and	O
not	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
until	O
several	O
months	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
original	O
IP	O
,	O
Jade	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
was	O
also	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Application
exclusive	O
,	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
receive	O
a	O
Windows	O
version	O
until	O
Jade	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
–	O
Special	O
Edition	O
(	O
which	O
included	O
bonus	O
content	O
)	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Obsidian	O
's	O
KOTOR	O
sequel	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2004	O
for	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
PC	O
version	O
in	O
February	O
2005	O
;	O
and	O
Fable	B-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
by	O
Lionhead	O
Studios	O
did	O
not	O
receive	O
a	O
PC	B-Application
port	I-Application
until	O
its	O
reissue	O
as	O
a	O
Platinum	B-Device
Hit	I-Device
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fable	B-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
2008	O
)	O
and	O
Fable	B-Application
III	I-Application
(	O
2010	O
)	O
were	O
platform	O
exclusives	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
released	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Fallout	B-Application
and	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
series	I-Application
of	O
PC	O
RPGs	O
spawned	O
console-friendly	O
,	O
Diablo-style	O
action	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
PS2	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
as	O
their	O
respective	O
PC	O
series	O
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bethesda	O
's	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Oblivion	I-Application
was	O
released	O
simultaneously	O
for	O
console	O
and	O
PC	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
considered	O
a	O
major	O
launch	O
title	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
BioWare	O
continued	O
to	O
produce	O
launch-exclusive	O
RPG	O
titles	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
such	O
as	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
produced	O
the	O
multi-platform	O
Dragon	B-Application
Age	I-Application
series	O
starting	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Some	O
cynics	O
claim	O
that	O
this	O
began	O
to	O
change	O
with	O
the	O
increasing	O
dominance	O
of	O
console	O
RPGs	O
,	O
which	O
by	O
the	O
late	O
90s	O
were	O
influencing	O
CRPGs	O
more	O
than	O
the	O
other	O
way	O
around	O
...	O
(	O
...	O
)	O
Naturally	O
,	O
adapting	O
the	O
CRPG	O
for	O
use	O
on	O
a	O
console	O
required	O
making	O
concessions	O
in	O
almost	O
every	O
area	O
,	O
particularly	O
the	O
interface	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
simple	O
enough	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
video	O
game	O
historian	O
and	O
vlogger	O
Matt	O
Barton	O
,	O
"	O
Successful	O
CRPGs	O
of	O
modern	O
times	O
often	O
seem	O
more	O
like	O
action	O
adventures	B-Application
or	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
than	O
anything	O
ever	O
released	O
by	O
Origin.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
considered	O
the	O
"	O
savior	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
Western	O
RPG	O
following	O
the	O
CRPG	O
drought	O
of	O
the	O
mid-1990s	O
,	O
BioWare	O
shed	O
the	O
novel-like	O
writing	O
style	O
and	O
other	O
conventions	O
of	O
Western	O
RPGs	O
with	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
it	O
replaced	O
these	O
conventions	O
with	O
the	O
more	O
cinematic	O
style	O
and	O
streamlined	O
action	O
of	O
Japanese	O
console	O
RPGs	O
such	O
as	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
and	O
other	O
video	O
game	O
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
constituting	O
a	O
major	O
departure	O
from	O
established	O
practice	O
,	O
and	O
—	O
along	O
with	O
other	O
factors	O
—	O
raising	O
questions	O
as	O
to	O
whether	O
games	O
like	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
are	O
actually	O
RPGs	O
,	O
BioWare	O
's	O
success	O
as	O
a	O
company	O
has	O
been	O
attributed	O
to	O
successfully	O
"	O
marrying	O
Western	O
mechanics	O
with	O
Japanese-style	O
character	O
interactions	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
have	O
been	O
other	O
less	O
subtle	O
shifts	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
core	O
influences	O
of	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
that	O
existed	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
and	O
1990s	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
argue	O
Dungeons	B-Application
&	O
Dragons	O
itself	O
has	O
diverged	O
from	O
its	O
table-top	O
roots	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
4th	O
Edition	O
D&D	O
rules	O
being	O
compared	O
to	O
video	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
and	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|An	O
in-game	O
screenshot	O
of	O
Legend	B-Application
of	I-Application
Grimrock	I-Application
,	O
a	O
real-time	O
,	O
first	O
person	O
view	O
,	O
tile-based	O
dungeon	B-Application
crawler	O
in	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
Dungeon	B-Application
Master.	O
|alt	O
=	O
Screenshot	O
of	O
Legend	B-Application
of	I-Application
Grimrock	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
image	O
,	O
a	O
monster	O
stands	O
behind	O
the	O
metal	O
bars	O
of	O
a	O
dungeon	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
independently-produced	O
RPGs	O
include	O
Spiderweb	O
Software	O
's	O
Geneforge	B-Operating_System
(	O
2001	O
–	O
2009	O
)	O
and	O
Avernum	B-Operating_System
(	O
2000	O
–	O
2010	O
)	O
series	O
;	O
Pyrrhic	O
Tales	O
:	O
Prelude	O
to	O
Darkness	O
(	O
2002	B-Application
)	O
by	O
Zero	O
Sum	O
Software	O
;	O
Eschalon	B-Application
:	I-Application
Book	I-Application
I	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
and	O
Book	B-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
2010	O
)	O
by	O
Basilisk	O
Games	O
;	O
Depths	B-Application
of	I-Application
Peril	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
and	O
Din	B-Application
's	I-Application
Curse	I-Application
(	O
2010	O
)	O
by	O
Soldak	O
Entertainment	O
;	O
Knights	O
of	O
the	O
Chalice	O
(	O
2009	O
)	O
by	O
Heroic	O
Games	O
;	O
and	O
Underrail	B-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
by	O
Stygian	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
Central	O
and	O
Eastern	O
European	O
RPGs	O
include	O
Belgian	O
developer	O
Larian	O
Studios	O
 '	O
Divinity	O
series	O
(	O
2002-2017	O
)	O
;	O
Russian	O
developer	O
Nival	O
Interactive	O
's	O
series	O
of	O
tactical	O
RPGs	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Silent	B-Application
Storm	I-Application
(	O
2003	O
)	O
;	O
German	O
developer	O
Ascaron	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
Sacred	B-Application
series	O
of	O
action	B-Application
RPGs	I-Application
(	O
2004-2014	O
)	O
;	O
and	O
Polish	O
developer	O
Reality	O
Pump	O
's	O
Two	B-Application
Worlds	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
and	O
Two	B-Application
Worlds	I-Application
2	O
(	O
2010	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hybrid	O
RPGs	O
include	O
Russian	O
developer	O
Elemental	O
Games	O
 '	O
multi-genre	O
Space	B-Application
Rangers	I-Application
(	O
2002	B-Application
)	O
and	O
Space	B-Application
Rangers	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dominators	I-Application
(	O
2004	O
)	O
;	O
Ukrainian	O
developer	O
GSC	O
Game	O
World	O
's	O
hybrid	O
survival	O
horror	O
RPG/first	O
-person	O
shooter	O
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.	O
</s>
<s>
:	O
Shadow	B-Application
of	I-Application
Chernobyl	I-Application
(	O
2007	O
)	O
;	O
Turkish	O
developer	O
TaleWorlds	O
 '	O
hybrid	O
series	O
of	O
RPG/medieval	O
combat	O
simulators	O
,	O
starting	O
with	O
Mount	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blade	I-Application
(	O
2008	O
)	O
;	O
and	O
Toby	O
Fox	O
's	O
very-hard-to-describe	O
console	O
game-inspired	O
RPG	O
,	O
Undertale	B-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
Gothic	B-Application
series	O
,	O
by	O
German	O
developer	O
Piranha	O
Bytes	O
,	O
first	B-Application
appeared	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
JoWooD	O
retained	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
Gothic	B-Application
name	O
and	O
to	O
current	O
and	O
future	O
games	O
released	O
under	O
that	O
trademark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Piranha	O
Bytes	O
have	O
since	O
gone	O
on	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
Risen	B-Application
series	O
(	O
2009-2014	O
)	O
with	O
publisher	O
Deep	O
Silver	O
,	O
and	O
ELEX	B-Application
(	O
2017	O
)	O
with	O
publisher	O
THQ	O
Nordic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fourth	B-Application
,	O
"	O
casual	O
"	O
installment	O
of	O
the	O
Gothic	B-Application
series	O
,	O
this	O
time	O
by	O
developer	O
Spellbound	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
JoWood	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
an	B-Application
expansion	I-Application
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
Gothic	B-Application
series	O
may	O
have	O
reverted	O
to	O
Piranha	O
Bytes	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Risen	B-Application
II	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Finnish	O
independent	O
development	O
studio	O
Almost	O
Human	O
released	O
Legend	B-Application
of	I-Application
Grimrock	I-Application
,	O
a	O
Dungeon	O
Master-inspired	O
game	O
,	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reboot	O
of	O
the	O
long-abandoned	O
tile-based	O
dungeon-crawler	O
sub-genre	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
that	O
reached	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
's	O
"	O
Top	O
Sellers	O
list	O
"	O
in	O
April	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Estonian	O
development	O
house	O
ZA/UM	B-Application
released	O
Disco	B-Application
Elysium	I-Application
to	O
wide	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
in	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
developers	O
left	O
Obsidian	O
Entertainment	O
to	O
form	O
DoubleBear	O
Productions	O
,	O
and	O
began	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
post-apocalyptic	O
zombie	O
tactical	O
RPG	O
,	O
Dead	B-Application
State	I-Application
(	O
2014	O
)	O
,	O
using	O
Iron	O
Tower	O
Studios	O
 '	O
The	B-Application
Age	I-Application
of	I-Application
Decadence	I-Application
(	O
2015	O
)	O
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
employees	O
left	O
BioWare	O
in	O
2012	O
to	O
form	O
Stoic	O
Studio	O
and	O
develop	O
the	O
tactical	O
RPG	O
The	B-Application
Banner	I-Application
Saga	I-Application
(	O
2014	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
sequels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dead	B-Application
State	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Banner	I-Application
Saga	I-Application
were	O
both	O
supported	O
in	O
part	O
by	O
the	O
public	O
through	O
the	O
crowdfunding	O
website	O
Kickstarter	O
,	O
a	O
recent	O
trend	O
among	O
independent	O
video	O
game	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
examples	O
of	O
crowdfunded	O
tactical	O
RPGs	O
include	O
inXile	O
Entertainment	O
's	O
Wasteland	B-Application
sequels	O
(	O
2014	O
,	O
2020	O
)	O
;	O
and	O
Harebrained	O
Schemes	O
 '	O
Shadowrun	B-Application
Returns	I-Application
(	O
2013-2015	O
)	O
and	O
BattleTech	B-Application
(	O
2018	O
)	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Iron	O
Tower	O
Studios	O
later	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
create	O
Dungeon	B-Application
Rats	I-Application
(	O
2016	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
tactical	O
RPG	O
spin-off	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Age	I-Application
of	I-Application
Decadence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
latest	O
title	O
,	O
Colony	O
Ship	O
:	O
A	O
Post-Earth	O
Role	O
Playing	O
Game	O
,	O
a	O
Fallout	B-Application
homage	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
early	O
access	O
on	O
6	O
April	O
2021	O
and	O
is	O
currently	O
still	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD	O
Projekt	O
Red	O
,	O
best	O
known	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
series	O
(	O
2007-2015	O
)	O
and	O
Cyberpunk	B-Application
2077	I-Application
(	O
2020	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
formed	O
in	O
2002	B-Application
in	O
Warsaw	B-Application
by	O
Polish	O
video	O
game	O
retailers	O
Marcin	O
Iwiński	O
and	O
Michał	O
Kiciński	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
began	O
by	O
translating	O
major	O
video-game	O
releases	O
into	O
Polish	O
,	O
collaborating	O
with	O
Interplay	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
two	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Baldur	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gate	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Alliance	I-Application
was	O
cancelled	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
decided	O
to	O
reuse	O
the	O
code	O
for	O
their	O
own	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
works	O
of	O
Andrzej	O
Sapkowski	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
,	O
CD	O
Projekt	O
worked	O
on	O
a	O
console	O
port	O
called	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
:	O
White	O
Wolf	O
;	O
but	O
development	O
issues	O
and	O
increasing	O
costs	O
led	O
the	O
company	O
to	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
bankruptcy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD	O
Projekt	O
later	O
released	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kings	I-Application
in	O
2011	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Witcher	I-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
Wild	I-Application
Hunt	I-Application
in	O
2015	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
latter	O
winning	O
various	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
Cyberpunk	B-Application
2077	I-Application
,	O
open-world	O
role-playing	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Cyberpunk	O
2020	O
tabletop	O
game	O
system	O
,	O
for	O
which	O
it	O
opened	O
a	O
new	O
division	O
in	O
Wrocław	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much-anticipated	O
after	O
a	O
several-years-long	O
wait	O
,	O
Cyberpunk	B-Application
2077	I-Application
received	O
considerable	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
narrative	O
,	O
setting	O
,	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
although	O
several	O
of	O
its	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
viewing	O
a	O
pre-release	O
trailer	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
writer	O
William	O
Gibson	O
,	O
credited	O
with	O
pioneering	O
the	O
cyberpunk	O
genre	O
,	O
remarked	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
seemed	O
like	O
"	O
GTA	B-Application
skinned-over	O
with	O
a	O
generic	O
80s	O
retro-future	O
"	O
,	O
although	O
he	O
later	O
expressed	O
an	O
affinity	O
toward	O
the	O
first	O
gameplay	O
demo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
Cyberpunk	O
2077''	O
was	O
widely	O
criticized	O
for	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
versions	O
which	O
suffered	O
from	O
severe	O
performance	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
