Ultima Online
Released on September 30 , 1997 , by Origin Systems , Ultima Online ( UO ) is often considered the first popular massively multiplayer computer game . The game is played online , in a fantasy setting similar to that of the other Ultima games that preceded it.
Ultima Online's success opened the door for the creation of many exciting new massively multiplayer games that have or are about to hit the market. UO is a third-person/ isometric fantasy role-playing game set in the Ultima universe. It is online-only and played by thousands of simultaneous users (who pay a monthly fee) on various game servers, also known as "shards". It is also known for its extensive timing-based player versus player combat system. There have been hundreds of thousands of subscribers. To maintain order in the online community, there are gamemasters who resolve player disputes, police the shard for terms of service violations, and correct glitches in the game.
Several expansions have been released, but its aging game engine and graphics make it fairly outdated compared to competitive, new massively multiplayer games. The original Ultima Online sequel, Ultima Worlds Online: Origin was to be set in a world where the Past, Present and Future of Sosaria were merged together by a mistake made by Lord British while attempting to merge together the shards of the Gem of Immortality, it was described by some as the first attempt at a Steampunk massively multiplayer online game. Todd McFarlane was hired to design original monsters and regions for the game, as well as help shape the story. Unfortunately it was canceled before its release citing the competitive nature of the massively multiplayer online gaming market, Electronic Arts feared that the sequel would harm UO's subscription numbers and vice versa. Some of the monsters and art made for UWO:O were later used in the Ultima Online expansion Lord Blackthorn's Revenge . A new sequel entered development called Ultima X : Odyssey , which was to bring together the stories from Ultima IX and Ultima Online , it was cancelled as well in order to focus more on other Ultima titles being made.