I wasn’t really aware of E3 back in 1995; it would be another two or so years before I even became aware that Ultima 9 was being worked on, in fact. So I was pleasantly surprised when someone on the Ultima Dragons Discord server dropped a link to this video, which was archived on YouTube by someone who goes by the handle mielikai. It is evidently a teaser video made for E3 1995, in which Richard Garriott introduces and talks about Origin Systems’ plans for Ultima 9. This would have been the very first iteration of the game, while the engine — based, as it was, on a fork of the Ultima 8/Crusader engine — was still using software 3D rendering. For those who concern themselves with such things, this would have been when the Bob White Plot was the planned story of the game.

We also get a look at some of the early work being done for the game, including renders of a castle and a tree. Also featured are several good looks at concept art that had been developed for the game by that point, some of which you can find archived on the Origin Gallery here at the Codex.

I love seeing these old glimpses of Ultima games in development, but this one in particular reinforces my view that had we gotten an orthagonal or isometric Ultima 9, it would have aged more poorly than Dungeon Siege (released only three years later) did.

(Hat tip: Bruce)