Perhaps if they had made Tabula Rasa characters' breasts bigger.

It’s official: A feature in the Chronicle is the kiss of death to anything or anyone video-game oriented in Austin. First came the news that game-publisher Gamecock Media lost its financial backer and sold to SouthPeak (read my story on those clowns during their salad days). Now, following the recent news that Austin gaming god Richard Garriott – after returning to Earth from his space flight – would be leaving NCsoft, the company announces it is pulling the plug on its online game (and Garriott’s most recent hurrah) Tabula Rasa due to sales that have slumped from the onset. You can read Joey Seiler’s article on that crew, too. Compounding the already dour situation, NCsoft will be sacking employees. This on top of a previous round of layoffs a few months back.

Tabula Rasa is slated to go out with a bang offering free online service to players starting Jan. 10 and all manner of virtual-world antics.

I blame the parasitic alien that has clearly taken control of Garriott’s mind for the entire economic downturn. Who flies into space when your company is going under? A man controlled by aliens, that’s who.

This article appears in November 21 • 2008.

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James graduated from Columbia University in 2000 and moved to Austin a year later. Ever since, he has followed the arts and video game scene in ATX, editing and writing stories for the Chronicle along the way. Over his more than 20 years with the paper he has climbed the "corporate" ladder from lowly intern to managing editor.