Be still my beating heart. No, wait, not quite that still. Somebody fetch the defibrillator.

There’s a new Underworld game in development. That’s Underworld as in Ultima Underworld, as in a couple of the greatest RPGs that have ever graced computing devices. Underworld Ascension doesn’t have the Ultima name and we know very little about it, but the developer at the head of the team has just the right pedigree. Paul Neurath, founder of new studio OtherSide Entertainment, was a founder of Blue Sky (later Looking Glass Studios of legend), and worked as creative director during the development of several games, including Thief, Terra Nova and the original Ultima Underworld. I want to believe.

Do I have reason not to believe? Not as such, but I don’t really have reason to do anything right now. It’s not that I’m having an existential crisis, it’s that all I have to go on here is the name of the game, the genre and the statement of Neurath’s involvement. Here’s a brief introduction from the man himself:

Our team include some of the folks who created the original franchise. When we made the original we looked to redefine the fantasy RPG genre. With the reboot we’re going right back to innovating, and our goal is to make the franchise more vital than ever. We are just getting started so little to see as yet, but rest assured, in the weeks to come we will be showing more and more. In the mean time we’d love to hear from you, because as fans you are an essential part of this franchise. Hit us up on Twitter @otherside_games and let us know what you loved about the Underworlds. Stay tuned here for updates and news.

I’ll be sending some questions across to OtherSide so hopefully we’ll know at least a little more in the near future. In the meantime, there’s a big old interview with Neurath linked in this post wot Cara wrote before she jetted off on a worldwide word tour.