The Realm Online
1996 video game / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about The Realm Online?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Realm Online, originally known as The Realm, is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) launched in December 1996 for Windows PC.[1] It was designed in the tradition of graphical MUDs,[2] before the usage of the terms "massively multiplayer" and "MMORPG".[3]
The Realm Online | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sierra On-Line (previous), Codemasters (previous), Norseman Games (previous), Rat Labs (previous), Realm Worlds (previous), Digital Alchemy (current) |
Publisher(s) | Sierra On-Line (previous), World Opponent Network (previous), Codemasters (previous), Norseman Games (previous), Virtual World Holding Company (current) |
Designer(s) | Stephen Nichols, Jordan Neville, Gil |
Platform(s) | Windows |
Release | |
Genre(s) | MMORPG |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Originally published by Sierra On-Line, it was abandoned by that company because of its unfavorable comparison to Ultima Online and EverQuest.[4] It was next taken up for a short time by a company called World Opponent Network which was also owned by Sierra On-line, then Codemasters, Norseman Games, and presently a Virtual World Holding Company.[5]
In April 2018 Norseman Games of Michigan, LLC granted an exclusive license to Rat Labs LLC (then Realm Worlds LLC), to develop and distribute The Realm. Later in June 1, Rat Labs opened a "fresh start" server that is free to play.
The Realm Worlds LLC closed the last game server on June 30, 2023.[citation needed] After the closure, Norseman Games began the sale of the IP to a brand new company named Virtual World Holding Company. VWHC (publisher) and Digital Alchemy (developer) were still working on the reboot of the game. By that September, the studio made an announcement about the re-opening of Despothe's Grove (the old game server), and the grand opening of Mabon's Gamble, the brand-new game server created by Digital Alchemy and successor of Finvarra's Fortress, the former server of Realm Worlds LLC.