EA just announced their next foray into the MMORPG genre. Read on for the full press release. In addition to the press release, Gamespy had a bunch of screenshots. Looks more like EQ, then UO if you ask me. (Screenshots are gone for some strange reason.) Origin Systems Announces Development of Ultima X: Odyssey
Friday August 22, 8:00 am ET
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aug. 22, 2003–Origin Systems, an
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS – News) development studio, today announced the
development of Ultima X: Odyssey(TM) (UXO), a next generation
massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) from the
award-winning Origin studio team. Powered by the latest version of the
Unreal® Engine and based on the renowned Ultima(TM) single-player
role-playing series, UXO will enable players to create personalized
legacies in a massive new online world and will be one of the first of
its kind to offer private areas on demand within the game.
“Ultima X: Odyssey takes the genre to the next level through its
innovative new Odyssey Adventure System ensuring that players
experience a greater sense of adventure and reward from both questing
and combat,” said Andy Hollis, vice president and chief operating
officer of Origin Systems.
UXOs proprietary and innovative Odyssey Adventure System delivers
customized quests to players automatically and enables private
adventure zones, providing adventures on demand as players journey
through the world. An added bonus in offering players private areas is
that they cant be interrupted by “griefers” and other uninvited
guests.
Strategic combat is another key differentiator for UXO that
engages players in a fast-paced, real-time exchange of attacks and
easy-to-use special moves. Players can choose their level of
aggressiveness and a variety of combat styles, making the outcome of
the battle as dependent on players actions as on their characters
strength. In addition to individual combat, player guilds can
challenge other guilds to gladiator-style dueling in privately created
zones.
UXO offers a higher level of challenge, adventure and character
customization through the Virtues, a popular component of the
award-winning Ultima series. In UXO, players can ascend their
characters to become the Avatar once they have mastered all eight
Virtues. Mastery of a Virtue allows a player to unlock special powers
and, eventually, create disciple characters. Players can build a
pantheon of heroic followers, all of whom can aid one main character
in pursuit of attaining the status of Avatar.
In addition to character customization, UXO provides an exciting
level of customization through its item and virtue systems, allowing
players to customize themselves, their inventory, their party or their
guild in ways never before possible. For instance, players can enhance
weapons and armor using either Virtue abilities or player experience
points. Furthermore some magic items and weapons can level with
players, gaining experience or Virtue as their character does.
Ultima X: Odyssey will debut this winter. For more information,
visit www.uxo.ea.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., is
the worlds leading interactive entertainment software company.
Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $2.5 billion for
fiscal 2003. The company develops, publishes and distributes
interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal
computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
three brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM), and EA SPORTS BIG(TM).
EAs homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information
about EAs products and full text of press releases can be found on
the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, Origin Systems, Origin, Ultima, Ultima X:
Odyssey, EA SPORTS, EA GAMES and EA SPORTS BIG are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries. Unreal is a registered trademark of Epic Games Inc.,
Raleigh NC, USA. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.