I wanted to take a few minutes, clear up some things I’ve been reading, and post my thoughts on Ultima, UO and our recently announced new title, Ultima Forever. I’m sure for many it was exciting to see we have more things in store for Ultima beyond just rereleasing the classics through GoG, setting up a history site for all things Ultima, and continuing to support UO as it hits a major milestone next month --its 15th anniversary. I’m sure for others though, questions were raised. Why is BioWare not putting more development effort into UO instead of wasting time on U4E? Why are they doing U4E instead of UO2?
Well, let me do my best to explain and assure you UO has exciting things to come with a passionate team behind it. First, it's important to know that U4E was never built to compete with UO. In fact, they are two very different projects run by two different teams. We have a phrase here in the office that every generation deserves an Ultima game. It's been far too long, and when we looked at the gaming landscape of today, and more importantly tomorrow, we birthed the concept behind Ultima Forever -- an online RPG adventure game you play with friends as you quest to save Britannia and uphold the eight virtues to prove your Avatarhood. Just as the classic Ultima titles of the past differ from UO, so is the same for U4E. This doesn't mean either title distracts attention from the other. Mesanna and her crew of henchmen are driving towards some fun things for the upcoming 15 year anniversary. We have some new merchandise anniversary items in the works. See below for a sneak peek. Shhhhh... don't tell marketing!
Lastly, for those interested in seeing a UO2. No surprise announcements on that today, but what I will say by everyone continuing to support UO and Ultima Forever this is the kind of ammunition I need to convince the high level execs that the market is ready for more Ultima. So keep playing UO, follow us on Facebook, and show support for all things Ultima. If you get a chance, sign up for U4E at ultimaforever.com.
See you online,
Jeff "Gryphon" Skalski
New Store Items
We have just added 3 fantastic items to the Origin store.
An Instant Pet Bond Potion - $4.99
- This Potion will instantly bond your pet without waiting 7 days
A Set of Three Garden Beds - $19.99
- You will be able to purchase a set of 3 garden beds without having to buy the Rustic Pack (still requires entitlement)
A new Mythic Character Token - $24.99
- This is an improved advanced character token, gives you 5 skills at 90 points (no templates) and 225 stat points.
I really don't have much to say about all of this.
I'm lying, I have a lot to say, but you don't have all night to read what I have to say. I'll point out a few things.
1. Too much space was dedicated to Ultima Forever, and this letter felt like a defense of U4E, not a letter to the community.
2. I'm not sure why it took so long for that letter to appear, because nothing new was said in it - trust me, I've read every Ultima Forever interview, watched the videos, read the Twitter comments. Nothing new was said about Ultima Forever, and the Franchise Producer says more in his Twitter postings about UO than he said there.
3. There was no reason to waste space on discussion of a UO2 that everybody knows will never happen, especially when the discussion on UO was already very lightweight to begin with.
4. The letter was addressed to UO players, but ended with a plea to sign up for Ultima Forever. I received a lot of emails and ICQs about this, from people who thought this had to be some kind of a joke.
5. $19.99 for 3 garden plots. $9.99, I might buy. $7.99, definitely, maybe even buy 2 sets. High Seas is $14.99, Stygian Abyss is $19.99, Britannian Ship is $11.99. Either of those three things are worth more than 3 garden plots. Whoever priced those plots is either trying to raise some quick cash for UO or is out of touch. IF you are the person who priced those, trust me, you will sell several times as many at $9.99 or $7.99 than you will at $19.99.
If you haven't noticed, the economy is bad and a lot of UO players have been scaling back their spending already.