Garriott loots $28m from NCsoft
Lord British awarded lost profits as court rules on firing case
Developer and spacefarer Richard Garriott has been awarded $28 million following a court case investigating his departure from MMO publisher NCsoft.
NCsoft had claimed at the time that the self-titled 'Lord British' had left the company of his own accord, but the Ultima creator was adamant that he had, in fact, been fired.
The basis of his case had been that he had found himself forced to sell his 40,000 shares in the firm immediately and in a poor climate as a result - had the official line been that he was dismissed, he would have had ten years to arrange this.
The jury at the 3.5 day trial in Austin, Texas agreed, though felt that Garriott's demand for $47 million was too high, instead awarding him a sum they felt was equivalent to the profit lost as a result of the immediate stock sale.
Garriott, who had just returned from a $20 million space-tourism jaunt when he got the call about standing down from NCsoft, was nevertheless satisfied with the verdict.
"I am extremely pleased with the jury's decision," he said in a statement. "The facts were clear that my departure from NCsoft was not voluntary. I am very pleased with the final award."
NCsoft's lawyer confirmed that the South Korean-originating publisher "will be considering all options for next steps in the legal process."
The sole game Garriott created for NCsoft, sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa, was closed less than a year after his departure. Garriott is currently working on social games at his new firm Portalarium.