Because as an IP it isn't very big or marketable, it's heyday was a decade ago and at its peak it had what 1/4million people playing, on forums such as this it's a big draw, but if I stopped 100 random people under 50 years of age in an average town how many of them would even recognise the name. EA know this and they will just spend money to get a marketable relevant IP. UO has very dated graphics so you can't use the old version to draw new gamers in.
if you fail to recreate the first it might tarnish reputation even further? I dont know. Just food for thought. It would be a tough IP to swallow, that's for sure.
I don't think anything would tarnish UO brand's reputation more than Ultimat 9 did LOL. But it is odd they let the brand die. I don't think some newer players realize how deep and storied that brand is. Ultima 1 was so long ago (early 1980's I think) and such a collectors item even just a few years ago (had cloth map, other stuff in the box) I actually sold my old copy of the game on ebay for a couple hundred bucks a few years back to a collector in London.
Did he wonder why there was a map in the box of the only game in the series that didn't come with one?
I'm pretty certain there was. Maybe it was Ultima 2 then. The game I sold definately had it. I can probably scour my old ebay records to confirm. BRB...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind" 1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN 2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
if you fail to recreate the first it might tarnish reputation even further? I dont know. Just food for thought. It would be a tough IP to swallow, that's for sure.
I don't think anything would tarnish UO brand's reputation more than Ultimat 9 did LOL. But it is odd they let the brand die. I don't think some newer players realize how deep and storied that brand is. Ultima 1 was so long ago (early 1980's I think) and such a collectors item even just a few years ago (had cloth map, other stuff in the box) I actually sold my old copy of the game on ebay for a couple hundred bucks a few years back to a collector in London.
Did he wonder why there was a map in the box of the only game in the series that didn't come with one?
I'm pretty certain there was. Maybe it was Ultima 2 then. The game I sold definately had it. I can probably scour my old ebay records to confirm. BRB...
Actually it was Ultima III - Exodus. Sold for $150 to some shop in West Yorkshire back in 1999 LOL. Definately had a sweet cloth map. I remember listing that I wasn't even sure if the disks worked anymore because I didn't have a PC that could read them at the time. The purchase was definately for the box, map, and other stuff. It was in near mint condition...
I DID play Utlima I as well I know that. I guess my copy of that got destroyed though or I would have sold that as well.
Another big seller I used to put on eBay were copies of my old Electronic Games Magazines. I actually still have a bunch but was selling them one at at ime for around $20-$30 a few years ago as well. Definately some collectors out there for retro gaming stuff. Not the games them selves mind you, just the artwork around them...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind" 1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN 2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
if you fail to recreate the first it might tarnish reputation even further? I dont know. Just food for thought. It would be a tough IP to swallow, that's for sure.
I don't think anything would tarnish UO brand's reputation more than Ultimat 9 did LOL. But it is odd they let the brand die. I don't think some newer players realize how deep and storied that brand is. Ultima 1 was so long ago (early 1980's I think) and such a collectors item even just a few years ago (had cloth map, other stuff in the box) I actually sold my old copy of the game on ebay for a couple hundred bucks a few years back to a collector in London.
Did he wonder why there was a map in the box of the only game in the series that didn't come with one?
I'm pretty certain there was. Maybe it was Ultima 2 then. The game I sold definately had it. I can probably scour my old ebay records to confirm. BRB...
Actually it was Ultima III - Exodus. Sold for $150 to some shop in West Yorkshire back in 1999 LOL. Definately had a sweet cloth map. I remember listing that I wasn't even sure if the disks worked anymore because I didn't have a PC that could read them at the time. The purchase was definately for the box, map, and other stuff. It was in near mint condition...
I DID play Utlima I as well I know that. I guess my copy of that got destroyed though or I would have sold that as well.
Another big seller I used to put on eBay were copies of my old Electronic Games Magazines. I actually still have a bunch but was selling them one at at ime for around $20-$30 a few years ago as well.
yeah the good old times, ultima like ultima underground was good too and you could see a huge diference from ultima 6 to 7 then 8, its almost like all creativity was in 6 then make a rushed thing on 7(like a filler or prologue) then make a better work on 8 then make that thing with 9....
but the reason for stop the series is the lord british..... he still hold the IP so EA can't do anything other then upgrade UO with expansions, they could like make a new graphic engine, but for that they had to invest in a game who even though it give tehn lots of money for a long time, its considered a big risk to pull of, and you know how big companys like to take risks, reason most progress we get is always from small companys
Serious question here. I think we can all agree that EA is mostly out to make money more so than making good innovative games, but i don't see the reasoning to let the UO name die out. Sure UO still has a population and it is still being supported with updates, but EA has to see the benefits ($$$ wise) of making a succesor to one of the most popular games in the mmorpg genre. UO is out dated and the name alone is worth alot of money, even making a good looking UO2 with good marketing should net them a hefty profit and if they put some actual thought and effort into the game they should be able to retire UO1 for a healthier, newer ultima world. Was wondering what other people's thoughts on this would be as multiple other UO games have been in development before yet they were canceled before release.
It ain´t so easy. First of all you need to hire in Lord British again. he made all the Ultima games and it wouldn´t really beone without him.
Secondly the team both need to look on the old games (not jus UO but all ultima games) together with P&P RPGs and translate that into something new and different. UO never became the game it was because it copied others, all the Ultima games were unique games, not just cheap copies.
The reason that UO 2 was cancelled was that it wasn´t good enough to be a Ultima game.
Just adding modern graphics to UO would make a cheap knock off. There still are possibilities for a real UO2, even though it is not a huge possibility but the game needs to be done right in that case. The IP deserves that.
if you fail to recreate the first it might tarnish reputation even further? I dont know. Just food for thought. It would be a tough IP to swallow, that's for sure.
I don't think anything would tarnish UO brand's reputation more than Ultimat 9 did LOL. But it is odd they let the brand die. I don't think some newer players realize how deep and storied that brand is. Ultima 1 was so long ago (early 1980's I think) and such a collectors item even just a few years ago (had cloth map, other stuff in the box) I actually sold my old copy of the game on ebay for a couple hundred bucks a few years back to a collector in London.
Did he wonder why there was a map in the box of the only game in the series that didn't come with one?
I'm pretty certain there was. Maybe it was Ultima 2 then. The game I sold definately had it. I can probably scour my old ebay records to confirm. BRB...
Actually it was Ultima III - Exodus. Sold for $150 to some shop in West Yorkshire back in 1999 LOL. Definately had a sweet cloth map. I remember listing that I wasn't even sure if the disks worked anymore because I didn't have a PC that could read them at the time. The purchase was definately for the box, map, and other stuff. It was in near mint condition...
I DID play Utlima I as well I know that. I guess my copy of that got destroyed though or I would have sold that as well.
Another big seller I used to put on eBay were copies of my old Electronic Games Magazines. I actually still have a bunch but was selling them one at at ime for around $20-$30 a few years ago as well.
yeah the good old times, ultima like ultima underground was good too and you could see a huge diference from ultima 6 to 7 then 8, its almost like all creativity was in 6 then make a rushed thing on 7(like a filler or prologue) then make a better work on 8 then make that thing with 9....
but the reason for stop the series is the lord british..... he still hold the IP so EA can't do anything other then upgrade UO with expansions, they could like make a new graphic engine, but for that they had to invest in a game who even though it give tehn lots of money for a long time, its considered a big risk to pull of, and you know how big companys like to take risks, reason most progress we get is always from small companys
Yeah I remember reading some interviews with him, but don't recall why he decided not to cash in on the brand more. I think he is into some sort of casual gaming push now or something. Those middle Ultima single player games (4-6) were groundbreaking, and yeah the later ones were TERRIBAD. Like playing Kings Quest or something.
I hate to say it, but the brand is not getting more valuable with time. Lots of younger gamers wouldn't give a crap about that IP although the older gamers would definately at least check it out.
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind" 1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN 2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
1. Ip is too old most mmo players dont know what it is.
2. ArcheAge = UO2
No it is not. It have nothing to do with Ultima at all.
Archeage = Archeage. That does not mean I think it will be a bad game and it might share some things with UO but it just ain't Ultima. Anyone who played the old Ultima games know what I mean (my first was Ultima 5).
UO2 was being developed two separate times and both were cancelled. I think the general feeling was that they did not believe they could compete with World of Warcraft as it was peaking at the time.
It also didn't look like either of those games were going to be sandbox like the original UO was, so I doubt many people on this site would have appreciated them had they come to fruition. It looked like both of them were following the WoW themepark model... Probably a good thing UO2 never came out if it was going to be so different from what made the original great.
Simply put, because of EA. Richard Garriot made the biggest misstake in his professional career when he decided to sell out to EA. He made money sure, but at what cost?
His entire Ultima legacy was flushed down the toilet.
Richard Garriot was long gone from Origin when they sold UO to EA. He had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Why haven't we seen any new Wing Commander, Lands of Lore, Kyrandia, Crusader, or games from a whole lot of other beloved franchises? The answer is simple... EA. They are the Prince of Destruction when it comes to anything they aquire. Bioware is next on the chopping block. It's already being stripped down to just a name EA puts on anything they release that has RPG elements in it.
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
Defined the genre? I would say EQ holds that distinction.
Although EQ made PVE important, I would say the "not being able to fuck over others gaming" was the most important addition to the MMO genre. IT kept the asshats from driving off subs.
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
1. Ip is too old most mmo players dont know what it is.
2. ArcheAge = UO2
No it is not. It have nothing to do with Ultima at all.
Archeage = Archeage. That does not mean I think it will be a bad game and it might share some things with UO but it just ain't Ultima. Anyone who played the old Ultima games know what I mean (my first was Ultima 5).
He simply means ArcheAge is the rightful sequel to UO in the sense that it is a great sandbox game with themepark elements.
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
Defined the genre? I would say EQ holds that distinction.
Although EQ made PVE important, I would say the "not being able to fuck over others gaming" was the most important addition to the MMO genre. IT kept the asshats from driving off subs.
There were just as many asshats in EQ the main difference was in EQ you couldn't kill them until they went away. Not saying EQ was any worse as I did enjoy that game greatly just that it had the same problems just in a different manor.
Bren
while(horse==dead) { beat(); }
OmaliMMO Business CorrespondentMemberUncommonPosts: 1,177
Originally posted by Aethaeryn
I hate to say this but I thought UO 2 looked aweful. I still have my Charter Edition box of UO and the back sleve of the CD case has an add for it. The only thing they really showed was the full motion capture of dancing / bowing etc. They were changing the look / feel / gameplay quite a bit.
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
Defined the genre? I would say EQ holds that distinction.
Although EQ made PVE important, I would say the "not being able to fuck over others gaming" was the most important addition to the MMO genre. IT kept the asshats from driving off subs.
I started UO in early 2000....It was a terrible experience to say the least.....It felt like everyone in the game was a total asshat.....I discovered EQ a short time later and didnt try UO again for many years (until the non pvp zones were added).....UO was a niche game that some loved but it obviously didnt carry alot of influence as no other game really copied what they did.....EQ, on the other hand, influenced many games in the genre and was a much more pleasurable experience.
I hate to say this but I thought UO 2 looked aweful. I still have my Charter Edition box of UO and the back sleve of the CD case has an add for it. The only thing they really showed was the full motion capture of dancing / bowing etc. They were changing the look / feel / gameplay quite a bit.
My favorite part of that trailer is always around the middle where the guy tries to ground swipe the floor to trip a flying bat.
Ha, I never saw that trailer before. I actually thought it looked pretty campy and a fun little video. I liked when the giant wolfman monster looking thing seemed to be doing "the Bernie" dance (right at around 2:25) way before its time LOL.
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind" 1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN 2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
Defined the genre? I would say EQ holds that distinction.
Did you think I said differently?
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Well..If im not Mistaken..They did come out with a UO 3D...I played it for a long time...And was Playing UO for a long time before they came out with Tram....The Razorbacks you see in the UO 2 Video looked exaclly like the Razorbacks in the UO 3D game....And the Ettins....That Video showed some of the Game that Actually came out
Comments
I'm pretty certain there was. Maybe it was Ultima 2 then. The game I sold definately had it. I can probably scour my old ebay records to confirm. BRB...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
Actually it was Ultima III - Exodus. Sold for $150 to some shop in West Yorkshire back in 1999 LOL. Definately had a sweet cloth map. I remember listing that I wasn't even sure if the disks worked anymore because I didn't have a PC that could read them at the time. The purchase was definately for the box, map, and other stuff. It was in near mint condition...
I DID play Utlima I as well I know that. I guess my copy of that got destroyed though or I would have sold that as well.
Another big seller I used to put on eBay were copies of my old Electronic Games Magazines. I actually still have a bunch but was selling them one at at ime for around $20-$30 a few years ago as well. Definately some collectors out there for retro gaming stuff. Not the games them selves mind you, just the artwork around them...
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
yeah the good old times, ultima like ultima underground was good too and you could see a huge diference from ultima 6 to 7 then 8, its almost like all creativity was in 6 then make a rushed thing on 7(like a filler or prologue) then make a better work on 8 then make that thing with 9....
but the reason for stop the series is the lord british..... he still hold the IP so EA can't do anything other then upgrade UO with expansions, they could like make a new graphic engine, but for that they had to invest in a game who even though it give tehn lots of money for a long time, its considered a big risk to pull of, and you know how big companys like to take risks, reason most progress we get is always from small companys
It ain´t so easy. First of all you need to hire in Lord British again. he made all the Ultima games and it wouldn´t really beone without him.
Secondly the team both need to look on the old games (not jus UO but all ultima games) together with P&P RPGs and translate that into something new and different. UO never became the game it was because it copied others, all the Ultima games were unique games, not just cheap copies.
The reason that UO 2 was cancelled was that it wasn´t good enough to be a Ultima game.
Just adding modern graphics to UO would make a cheap knock off. There still are possibilities for a real UO2, even though it is not a huge possibility but the game needs to be done right in that case. The IP deserves that.
1. Ip is too old most mmo players dont know what it is.
2. ArcheAge = UO2
Yeah I remember reading some interviews with him, but don't recall why he decided not to cash in on the brand more. I think he is into some sort of casual gaming push now or something. Those middle Ultima single player games (4-6) were groundbreaking, and yeah the later ones were TERRIBAD. Like playing Kings Quest or something.
I hate to say it, but the brand is not getting more valuable with time. Lots of younger gamers wouldn't give a crap about that IP although the older gamers would definately at least check it out.
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
There was one in the works and it was killed, it was called UWO - Ultima World Origins.
Sennheiser
Assist
Thage
No it is not. It have nothing to do with Ultima at all.
Archeage = Archeage. That does not mean I think it will be a bad game and it might share some things with UO but it just ain't Ultima. Anyone who played the old Ultima games know what I mean (my first was Ultima 5).
The easiest way to explain why there isn't a UO2 is to simply ask "what was the essence of the original UO" and watch the fireworks and flamewars.
Utima has lost its brand value LONG LONG TIME ago. The Ultima series peaked at U7. U8 is meh.
U9 is a miserable failure with poor sales and panned by critics.
UO started the genre but lost the market leader position once EQ is out. In fact, EQ has a lot more influence on later MMOs than UO.
UO2 was being developed two separate times and both were cancelled. I think the general feeling was that they did not believe they could compete with World of Warcraft as it was peaking at the time.
It also didn't look like either of those games were going to be sandbox like the original UO was, so I doubt many people on this site would have appreciated them had they come to fruition. It looked like both of them were following the WoW themepark model... Probably a good thing UO2 never came out if it was going to be so different from what made the original great.
Richard Garriot was long gone from Origin when they sold UO to EA. He had absolutely nothing to do with it.
But your point is still valid.
When looking at the direction of the various MMOs at the time, one could almost say that not only did it influence the direction of the genre, it pretty much defined it.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Why haven't we seen any new Wing Commander, Lands of Lore, Kyrandia, Crusader, or games from a whole lot of other beloved franchises? The answer is simple... EA. They are the Prince of Destruction when it comes to anything they aquire. Bioware is next on the chopping block. It's already being stripped down to just a name EA puts on anything they release that has RPG elements in it.
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
This site would have a clusterfrack WTFBBQchickenswithrasberrysauce meltdown.
It would make for some epic reading though.
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
Defined the genre? I would say EQ holds that distinction.
Although EQ made PVE important, I would say the "not being able to fuck over others gaming" was the most important addition to the MMO genre. IT kept the asshats from driving off subs.
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
He simply means ArcheAge is the rightful sequel to UO in the sense that it is a great sandbox game with themepark elements.
My gaming blog
There were just as many asshats in EQ the main difference was in EQ you couldn't kill them until they went away. Not saying EQ was any worse as I did enjoy that game greatly just that it had the same problems just in a different manor.
Bren
while(horse==dead)
{
beat();
}
My favorite part of that trailer is always around the middle where the guy tries to ground swipe the floor to trip a flying bat.
Ha, I never saw that trailer before. I actually thought it looked pretty campy and a fun little video. I liked when the giant wolfman monster looking thing seemed to be doing "the Bernie" dance (right at around 2:25) way before its time LOL.
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements
Did you think I said differently?
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I would give my left testi... er
I wonder the same thing OP.
UO2 with Skyrim like graphics would be a big hit.
Keeping it sandbox of course.
Lot's of money to be made.
Well..If im not Mistaken..They did come out with a UO 3D...I played it for a long time...And was Playing UO for a long time before they came out with Tram....The Razorbacks you see in the UO 2 Video looked exaclly like the Razorbacks in the UO 3D game....And the Ettins....That Video showed some of the Game that Actually came out