Wizardry / Ultima

Wizardry, descending a dungeon in first person, and Ultima, traveling a world seen from above. These two, appearing side by side in 1981, moved tabletop D&D onto the screen. By release date, Wizardry came slightly first, with Ultima I following that autumn. Still, the phrase "first CRPG" deserves some caution: Richard Garriott had already released Akalabeth (later recognized as "Ultima 0") in 1979-80. Whether you count that as its own independent work or as a prototype for Ultima moves the claim of who came first — a shape this map keeps running into. There was also a reversal in reputation. In sales and popularity, Wizardry led at first. Over the long run, it's Ultima's lineage that left the larger mark. And Wizardry ended up loved so deeply in Japan that it's said a majority of its players are now Japanese (→ on to Dragon Quest).