Ultima Online studio Broadsword has been teasing all year that it had a big announcement coming for the game this year after publish 109, something that would bring the game to the “largest audience ever.” Well, publish 109 launched last month, and Broadsword has announced… an announcement.
“Earlier this year we talked about a major update coming to Ultima Online. Yes, we’ve been tight lipped about the details but the time has finally come! On September 24, 2020, as Ultima Online celebrates its 23rd Anniversary, join us as we share this exciting news with you! Keep an eye on UO.com next month for full details on how to be part of this momentous occasion! Long live UO!”
So while we still don’t know what it is, at this point we can only assume the game is finally getting the Steam launch promised years and years ago. I’m not exaggerating: UO, alongside Dark Age of Camelot, was greenlit on Steam in early 2014, back when Steam actually had a greenlighting program (and back when we were still on Old Massively). But two years later, Broadsword admitted the release had been bogged down in EA bureaucracy (EA still owns and publishes it, using Broadsword as the development studio). It’s been over six years now, and we’re still waiting, though with EA’s recent about-face on Steam – and SWTOR’s wild success on the platform this summer – we’d honestly be surprised if this is not what the announcement is about.
