Just a few days ago, the servers of the Classic branch of WoW to Wrath of the Lich King were updated, and later this week we learned that the long-awaited Dragonflight update will arrive on November 28. On the other hand, this month Overwatch 2 will hit the market, as well as other titles in which online is a key element. And to a greater or lesser extent, tWe are all indebted to Ultima Online.
Ultima Online, back in 1997, was not the first massively multiplayer role-playing game, previously other titles had already raised a similar scenario, but the creation of Origin Systems (which would later be acquired by Electronic Arts) was by far the most ambitious yet. Both the time used for its development (more than two years) and the economic investment in it made it an exceptionally risky bet that, however, was based on the success of the Ultima saga, and on the good impressions generated by its presentation at E3 in 1996, by which time the game had been in development for over a year.
With its launch on September 30, 1997, Ultima Online marked a revolution in terms of the options of an online role-playing gamefrom the construction (prior purchase of land, of course) on the common map, the possibility of producing and selling a large number of goods and manufactured goods, thus giving rise to an economy within the game, the possibility of stealing from other players… all this , today, may sound like something very common, but in those days, in an online title designed to be played by tens of thousands of people over the Internetwas revolutionary.
Y it was also revolutionary in its business model. Today the monthly subscription to online games is also something that we are more than used to. Whether in titles in which it is only possible to play through the checkout, or others in which this is not mandatory, but it does represent a more than substantial change in the gaming experience, Ultima Online was the title that set the precedent and , therefore, one of the pillars on which the online gaming ecosystem is based, as we know it today.
Its launch was an absolute success, with no less than 100,000 players signed up over the first six months, and with peaks that reached 250,000. This success was key both for EA’s acquisition of Origin Systems, and for other developers to take note and launch into a market that had just been born.
Over the years, Electronic Arts closed Origin Systems (yes, indeed, it recycled the name to use it in its online store) and Ultima Online is no longer the great glory it was at the time, but, 25 years after its launch, it still survives and coexists on the Internet with its most advanced students, among which World of Warcraft undoubtedly stands out, but among which we also find other titles ranging from Elder Scroll Online to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Happy birthday, Ultima Online!
