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Ultima Returning as Free-to-Play PC, iPad Game

Ultima fans will have a chance to go back home to Britannia later this year, with BioWare's reincarnated Ultima Forever free-to-play game.

July 12, 2012

Ultima fans will have a chance to go back home to Britannia later this year, with a reimagined, free-to-play version of the game from BioWare.

From San Diego's Comic-Con event, Electronic Arts - which owns BioWare - today announced the newest edition of the legendary Ultima franchise, dubbed Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar.

A reboot of the 1985 classic Ultima IV, Ultima Forever will be available for the iPad and PCs later this year. The game is free, but will include in-game sales of things like gold and bigger accessories.

The game gathers small groups of three or four characters to wander the world of Britannia, flying in hot air balloons over mountain ranges, sailing across oceans, surviving storms, battling sea monsters, and competing to collect the eight Virtues, Barnett explained.

An in-game mentorship program will allow lower-level players to get help from more experienced gamers.

Players can sign up at the official Ultima website for a chance to participate in a closed beta, as well as see the first game trailer.

The first Ultima release was 1981's The First Age of Darkness, almost 30 years before Ultima Online: High Seas hit the Web in 2010. As Kotaku explained, however, this browser-based version disappointed longtime fans; can Ultima Forever turn it around?

Game developers focused on a remake of Ultima IV for the reboot because "we think Ultima IV is really cool, and it's neat, and it's ace," BioWare Mythic Creative Director Paul Barnett told Kotaku.

According to MSNBC, production of the new Ultima Forever does not involve original creator Richard Garriott. He has actually been busy with Portalarium, an Austin-based gaming company that recently secured $7 million in funding.

If you're lucky enough to be roaming this weekend's Comic-Con, stop by the EA booth for more information about Ultima Forever.