What does one do after inventing one of the first virtual worlds ever to exist online? If you’re Richard Garriott, you try to leave Earth behind altogether, for a little while anyway. Lots of gamers know about Garriott’s quest to escape the bounds of Earth’s gravity via private space travel. What some may not know is the reason the man known as Lord British wants to do it so badly. More »
With Electronic Arts cutting back in a major way, fans of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot are justifiably concerned about rumoured layoffs at Mythic Entertainment, development home to those online multiplayer games. More »
Ultima Online celebrates its 12th birthday by inviting everyone who has ever played back to rediscover the joys of getting killed over and over again while trying to chop wood. More »
EA invites players eager for a first shot at Ultima Online’s new Gargoyle playable race to sign up for the beta test for the upcoming Stygian Abyss expansion. More »
Now in its twelfth year of operation, Ultima Online gears up for the Stygian Abyss expansion, which adds the game’s largest dungeon and a new playable race – the gargoyle. More »
Mythic’s Mark Jacobs has revealed that Ultima Online was set to be axed by EA, but that he was able to persuade them to pump more money into relaunching the title.
Gamasutra has a long (long) interview up with Raph Koster (lead designer of Ultima Online and founder of Areae). It’s long. But Koster touches on a ton of stuff – the shift in game design, the ultra-casual market like Habbo Hotel vs. WoW, this idea of ‘game grammar’, why patents are a necessary evil, and is ‘single-player gaming dead’? – and it’s an interesting read. Even some interesting ideas on the us vs. them mentality present in the industry (or is it?):
I love when you chided everyone [at GDC Austin] . I watched Sulka Haro [of Habbo Hotel]talk, and … I could feel this slightly electric vibe of tension between the MMO guys in the audience and Haro. I don’t want to overgeneralize, but… I got this “We don’t like you, and you don’t like us,” kind of feeling, because they feel like he’s doing something different.
RK: Sulka has been coming to GDCs for years! He’s a guy who has been bridging the gap all along. Honestly, it’s more cases like… Nexon never comes out and talks, because they really do think that they’re just a different industry, as far as they’re concerned. I don’t want to ascribe motives — I don’t really know — but they just don’t do the talks! Because honestly, how relevant would many of the talks here this year be to them? Not very! I think it’s really, really, really important that people in any industry get out of their village and go anywhere else and check out what’s going on. Travel is broadening.
It’s an enjoyable interview to read with some different ideas on a number of aspects of the industry.
Defining Games: Raph Koster’s Game Grammar [Gamasutra] More »
Ten years ago yesterday the age of the MMO was ushered in with the release of Ultima Online. While not technically the first MMORPG, it was the first one that gained a widespread audience, paving the way for games like Everquest and World of Warcraft. In celebration of this anniversary, Electronic Arts is inviting players from the entirety of the game’s 10 years to return to the game for free from now until October 9th using their old username and password to experience the recent changes that came with the Kingdom Reborn makeover. The in-game celebration includes special events like a monster hunt where players can win prizes like maps of Britannia, an ahnk pendant, commemorative sculpture, or a virtue armour set. All players will also receive a wand of fireworks and 10 decor tokens, whatever those might be. Happy 10th Ultima Online! May you last another 10 years with the tiny player base you have left! More »
