Richard Garriott's next game is Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale

Legendary Ultima designer Richard Garriott has finally unveiled Portalarium's latest project, which he once described as an "Ultima-style game for the social space".

It's a Facebook game about going to garage sales.

As the announcement gleefully points out, Ultimate Collector: Garage Sale debuts a whole new, untapped category of social games, fulfilling Garriott's promise that the project is "not a game about farming, it’s not a game about operating a shop, it’s not a game about managing your pets".

The eccentric creator wants to tap into the "collectible craze".

“It’s been fueled by cable television programs such as American Pickers, Pawn Stars and Storage Wars," he said.

"By the broadest definition, this is an unregulated multi-billion dollar industry in the real world. Ultimate Collector spans the gamut of that entire activity and is a way for treasure and bargain searching people to transfer that enthusiasm - that passion for the ultimate hunt - into the social network space.”

In the course of the game, players create an avatar and a home, and set out to collect ... things. Examples include "antique radios, purple stuffed toys, home décor, books, artwork, historical weapons or just a set of tools", and the game boasts "thousands" of them. Some may need to be repaired or authenticated to unlock their true worth. Items are based on real-world collectibles and the game links out to information sources to help players learn about the real thing.

Players hold garage sales, and can promote them with various special items, but you can also check out estate sales, markets, pawn shops, storage units, auctions and even national retailers, which will have their own stores in the game.

No launch date has been set, although Portalarium promises news in the next few weeks. You can sign up for the beta, though.