Announcing Ultima Online Age of Shadows
Contact:
Erica Yenni Thomas
C.H.E.N. PR
303-394-1968
[email protected]
ORIGIN
SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF
ULTIMA ONLINE AGE OF SHADOWS
For
the First Time, UO Players Will Be Able to Design and Build Their
Own Houses
AUSTIN, Texas, July 16, 2002 — Origin Systemsâ„¢, an
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) development studio, today announced
the development of Ultima Onlineâ„¢ Age of Shadows, the most
ambitious expansion in the award-winning Ultima Onlineâ„¢ (UO)
series. In Age of Shadows, fans will be introduced to two new
professions and an exciting new realm to explore and settle. In
addition to the expanded availability of housing, a House Design
Tool will also be included in this latest version.
“Housing has been
one of the key features of UO since its launch in 1997, “said
Ben Noel, vice president and chief operating officer of Origin
Systems. “We are continuously looking for ways to improve
and expand the fun factor of owning a home in Britannia. Not only
will Age of Shadows create more housing availability, but the
new custom-design feature will allow all our players much more
creativity when building a house.”
The immersive nature
of Ultima Onlines world continues to expand through the introduction
of the House Design Tool. This tool, accessible to anyone who
owns a house within the game, will allow players to build new
houses from scratch or modify existing ones with compelling new
structures, spatial elements and textures.
In addition to building
homes, players will have two new professions to master: a Paladin
and a Necromancer. The chivalrous Paladin is a courageous warrior
fortified with awesome new powers and the cunning Necromancer
is wielder of the darkest magic and forbidden secrets. As players
role-play either of these two opposing forces they will discover
a large new landmass to conquer and to settle.
As players explore
this new area within the game, they will be able to utilize an
enhanced magic system featuring new spells and powerful items.
Additionally, new combat techniques and weapons add more depth
and challenge to the fighting experience, and will be useful when
facing the dozens of new monsters roaming the dark realm.
Age of Shadows will
debut in early 2003 and will offer continuing new intrigue through
ongoing fictional scenarios in which players often determine the
outcome.
Ultima Online has 225,000
subscribers and is played in more than 50 countries located in
every time zone.
About Electronic
Arts
Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
the worlds leading interactive entertainment software company.
Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than
$1.7 billion for fiscal 2002. The company develops, publishes
and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal
computers and video game systems. EA markets its products under
four brand names: EA SPORTSâ„¢, EA GAMESâ„¢, EA SPORTS BIGâ„¢
and EA.COMSM. More information
about EAs products and full text of press releases can be found
on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.
