The MMORPG Ultima Online (PC, since 2017 Free2Play) was released in 1997 and is still being developed today. However, now the old game wants to achieve the “largest reach of all time.” How exactly this will work is something the developers will only reveal in September.
What is going on with Ultima Online? Although Ultima Online is one of the oldest MMORPGs, it received several updates in 2020. In January, the developers announced in a newsletter that something big is planned for 2020. It says in one section:
To build on the legend and make Ultima Online accessible to the largest audience of all time, the team is just at the beginning of the development and construction of our largest and boldest undertaking in over a decade! We are incredibly excited about the future and can’t wait to share the journey with you!
Newsletter about Ultima Online
Many players expressed great interest after the announcement and hoped for timely information. However, there was nothing to hear about the big change until the latest newsletter on August 26.
What’s new? Since the latest newsletter, it has been confirmed that a major reveal is planned for September 24, 2020, where the unknown innovation will be presented. On this day, Ultima Online will celebrate its 23rd birthday.
Although the innovation will probably not be released on that day, all fans of the MMORPG and generally interested parties should mark this date.
Is Ultima Online coming to Steam or as a Mobile Game?
What’s behind the announcement? Fans of the MMORPG have been speculating for months about what the innovation might be. The statement that they want to reach the largest possible audience has led to three main speculations:
- A release on Steam
- A remake of the MMORPG
- A mobile version
Mesanna, a staff member of Ultima Online, confirmed that there will not be a release on Steam. In fact, late releases on Steam are currently very popular. This year, Wurm Online and SWTOR have already been released on Valve’s platform, and Guild Wars 2 plans its release for November.
Many fans rule out a remake because it would be too labor-intensive and thus might not necessarily attract a new player base.
Most come to the conclusion that an Ultima Online Mobile is likely in the works.
RuneScape has already succeeded on mobile
Can Ultima Online Mobile be a success? That mobile versions can also be successful for older MMORPGs is already shown by RuneScape.
The game from 2001 now offers both the current version and Old School RuneScape for smartphones. And both are doing so well that the franchise could gain the most new players in 2019.
Something similar could happen with Ultima Online with a mobile version. After all, both MMORPGs rely on a factor that Raph Koster, one of the original designers of UO, considers particularly important: They have features for baking and planting flowers.
