I see what you did there........
"Once we release Publish 109 we will be full steam ahead on our next project - we know you are excited to know what we have in store for Ultima Online and we are excited to share it with you! Keep an eye out for this big announcement!"
https://mailchi.mp/broadsword/ultima-online-newsletter-48
You all slay me.
https://mailchi.mp/broadsword/ultima-online-newsletter-48
You all slay me.
-Arroth
Comments
They mentioned 'largest audience,' so could UO be coming to mobile? Do you think we will have a new expansion to launch with it?
Excited, just came back from a long break.
I think that we are looking at:
1. The release of the game on Steam
2. Some shiny new *something* to get players excited and coincide with the Steam release.
Breaking those down a bit:
In the tease from a couple months ago they did mention largest audience, they also mentioned generational shifts, and they said biggest and boldest endeavor in a decade.
To me, "audience" would indicate Steam or Mobile. Generational changes would indicate mobile, but might also be a reference to consumer tastes changing from game stores to digital platforms. Biggest and Boldest in a decade would indicate larger than ToL or HS, but not as big as SA. However, "endeavor" isn't necessarily "expansion", so maybe not as much new content focused as an expansion, but still with enough "new" to excite and draw in customers?
Specifically with regards to Steam:
Broadsword is not a huge company and they only have two products, so whatever one product is doing, the other is probably getting as well. DAoC got a swag store, UO got a swag store. DAoC got Endless Conquest, UO got Endless Journey. DAoC got Mithril, UO got Sovereigns, etc. The DAoC team spoke in December about releasing DAoC on Steam in 2020. I'd peg UO to release on Steam at about the same time as DAoC. (I'd guess Q2 or Q3 of 2021 is more realistic at this point.)
Yes, Mesanna was asked if Steam was the "big announcement" and she said "no". However, I think that's been misconstrued as her saying "no" to Steam, when I think what she was saying was that Steam wasn't the big announcement. So there seems to be *something* else they are working on in addition to or in conjunction with a Steam release.
As for whatever that shiny "something" is who knows. I'd like to think they are bug fixing, unifying systems, and really preparing the game for a larger audience, but with UO's well established 23 year history, that seems unlikely. Also, that's boring and wouldn't excite new players. They are working on that new quest engine/journal though.....
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see Orcs as a playable race. Give the human paperdoll a different face, add in some Orc mounts, armor, and weapons. Maybe rework the Orc forts or Orc dungeon. No new land masses or anything. More like the ML expansion with Elves, and less like SA and Gargoyles. That'd be bigger than ToL or HS, but not as big as SA.....
So, I'm going with:
Orcs as a playable race in 2021 coinciding with a Steam release and mobile interface (with maybe some cleaned up underlying systems).
Team of 5, but with all of Broadsword on deck for the Steam/mobile, yeah, they can knock that out in a year.
Q3 2021, just prior to the 24th Anniversary (3*8 = 24 and all!)
EA already chose the games that went to steam.
No orcs. If they were going to have
Orcs they blew a chance to make the hog a new pet type.
I think a new temporary encounter and they are making the Halloween and end of year events.
I hope we get at least two new pets that are good and go to 5 slot.
That's why I'm thinking less actual content, but more streamlining (like the upcoming journal and EM tools.) Still, has to be something shiny at the end or people won't stay for the boring in-the-trenches work. However, this is the same group that gave us a rainbow colored unicorn, so I'm not sure what Shiny to expect...they surprise me.
It could be fabulous, or it could be FaBoloUSee!!!!
Tell him.
EA has said nothing on UO or its coming evolvement in any "Steam" project.
With this covid-19 keeping people cooped up at home I have noticed a smattering of returning players on non Atlantic shards. This is a good thing! Contrary to past ideas we need more then one or 2 working shards to keep the game floating in the water. Encourage friends and family to join you and go to a old home shard and play. Make a difference in our world.
My only hope is what ever they have in mind is something we all can rejoice about. Id be pleasantly surprised if it was... but I know the past all too well to put all my hopes on any thing sight unseen. Been bitten in the tush too many times to trust the Dev with my game happiness.
Didn't even know such a thing existed.