Following
recent news that the existing
Ultima Online team would begin working with Electronic Arts' newly acquired studio Mythic (
Dark Age of Camelot) in order to “forge Britannia’s future,” EA today announced a significant upgrade to its long running MMO.
Tentatively titled
Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn, the upgrade is described by EA as “a complete make-over,” and will feature a new graphics engine, new user interface, and new content on top of nine years of existing content which will be further enhanced as well. In addition,
Kingdom Reborn will add a new playable race, though no other specific information was released at this time.
The new graphics engine will maintain the game's original perspective while taking advantage of the game's new visual fidelity. EA commented that the developers are currently re-drawing more than 9,000 pieces of art with which the entire map of
Ultima Online, which is made up of more than 14 million tiles, will be re-built, adding to the game's new look.
Lastly, EA added that despite the substantial changes to be introduced by
Kingdom Reborn when it ships in 2007, current players who choose not to upgrade will be able to play without interruption.
"It's been nine years since
Ultima Online first proved that online games could be very popular," said EA Mythic General Manager, Mark Jacobs. "And now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the
UO team and the support of the players over the years, a new day is dawning for this groundbreaking game."
