Ultima Online (UO) is a fantasy game where many players can play online together. It was released on September 24, 1997, by Origin Systems. The game takes place in the Ultima universe and is famous for having a lot of fighting between players. Since its release, the game has added eight expansion packs, one special addition, and many free updates. In 2007, the release of Kingdom Reborn introduced a new game engine with better graphics.

To prepare for the release of the Stygian Abyss expansion, support for the old game version was stopped to make updates easier. A new version of the Kingdom Reborn client was created and called the "Enhanced Client." This updated version was tested by players in July 2009, the same time Stygian Abyss was released. The "Enhanced Client" combines some 3D models and user interface elements from Kingdom Reborn with the 2D artwork from the older "Classic Client." As of 2025, the "Enhanced Client" and the "Classic Client" are the two official versions of the game.

Gameplay

Ultima Online continued many traditions from earlier Ultima games. However, because of new technology and because it was Origin's first game that stays online all the time, new game features were added. Since the game was partly designed to test how players interact and manage resources, the creators had to plan for many players working together or competing. They also had to address the idea that players might feel they are the most important person, as was common in single-player games.

Ultima Online started with one world. Later, expansion packs added more areas and new worlds. The second world was called "Lost Lands," which players often named "T2A" because the expansion was titled "The Second Age." This world included new land, dungeons, creatures, and environments. The third world was called "Trammel," which was a copy of the original Ultima Online map. When Trammel was released, the developers changed the original world to feel darker and renamed it "Felucca."

There are two types of servers in Ultima Online. "Normal" servers include both Trammel (where players can fight each other if they agree) and Felucca (where players can fight each other without agreement). "Siege" servers only allow non-consensual player vs. player combat and do not protect items from being taken. Siege servers also limit players to one character per account, restrict movement options, and have other rules that make them harder to play than normal servers.

The worlds in Ultima Online include:

Development

The game had an initial development budget of $2.5 million. Ultima Online was created from Richard Garriott’s idea for a fantasy game where thousands of players could interact in a shared fantasy world. Earlier games, such as Habitat (tested in 1986), The Realm Online, Neverwinter Nights (AOL version), and Meridian 59, allowed hundreds of players to play together. However, Ultima Online improved on these games with better graphics and game features. Garriott said, “It was important for Ultima Online to have a theme, story, and quests, and to support larger activities. We wanted it to be an Ultima experience, not just player-controlled. Ultima Online will be the first completely virtual world where people can live alternate lives.” The goal was to give players as much freedom as possible.

The initial team included Garriott, Starr Long, Rick Delashmit, Scott Phillips, and later Raph Koster, who became the lead designer. Koster wrote public letters about game design and was known as “Designer Dragon.” He was inspired by earlier online games like DartMUD.

The project began in 1995 and was shown to the public at E3 as “Ultima Online: Shattered Legacy” in May 1996. Origin Systems reported over 3,000 participants in the early testing phase. The development cost was higher than for other games because players connected to servers through modems. Ultima Online’s early features included housing that stayed with players, character improvement based on skills (not levels or classes), a player-driven economy, and unrestricted player-versus-player combat.

An artificial life system was planned to affect animal behavior and create new adventures. However, this feature was not completed. Garriott explained, “Players killed all the animals so quickly that the game couldn’t keep up. No one noticed this feature, so we removed it.”

Lord British was Garriott’s in-game character. During a beta test on August 9, 1997, a player named Rainz used a spell to kill Lord British. Starr Long, the producer, said the character had been made invulnerable, but Garriott forgot to reset this setting after a server crash. Rainz was banned for exploiting bugs, not for killing Lord British. Beta testers protested the ban and other actions by developers. The original beta test ended on September 23, 1997, with an “end of the world” event featuring Shadowlords and demons.

In September 1997, Ultima Online launched and opened servers to the public. It became popular, reaching 100,000 paying players within six months, which caused lag issues. By 1999, servers were added in Japan, Europe, and South Korea. In 2000, Garriott left Origin, and players speculated about Lord British’s disappearance. A major event in February 2000 involved an army of undead attacking the city of Trinsic. A new server opened in Australia around this time.

In May 2000, the game’s second expansion, Ultima Online: Renaissance, split the game world into two mirrored areas: Trammel and Felucca. Trammel required consent for player-versus-player combat, while Felucca allowed attacks without consent. In November 2000, the first official fan event, the UO World Faire, was held in Austin, Texas. In March 2001, the third expansion, Ultima Online: Third Dawn, introduced 3D-like graphics and a new area called Ilshenar. In January 2002, the second fan event, Online Worlds FanFest, was held in Austin. Guest speaker Todd McFarlane attended. In February 2003, the fifth expansion, Ultima Online: Age of Shadows, allowed players to design homes and expanded housing areas.

Ultima Online was the first MMORPG to reach 100,000 subscribers, far exceeding earlier games. Subscriber numbers peaked at about 250,000 in July 2003 but then declined. In February 2004, Origin Systems closed, and development moved to Fairfax, Virginia.

The sixth expansion, Samurai Empire (November 2004), added Japanese-themed areas, professions like Ninja and Samurai, and new housing styles. The seventh expansion, Mondain’s Legacy (August 2005), introduced Elves as a new race, improved quests and crafting, and added new dungeons. It was the first expansion available only online.

In June 2006, Electronic Arts purchased Mythic Entertainment, which managed Ultima Online. PunkBuster, an anti-cheating tool, was planned for the game but never added. In 2008, the game had about 100,000 subscribers, and its market share was below 0.6% of all MMORPGs.

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the game, giving it a four-star rating out of five. They said, "It's a very big world in there, full of lots of exciting things to try and accomplish. More will be added over time, and there are many real people around to know you did them. Brittania is what you make of it. Have fun." GameSpot rated the game 4.9 out of 10.

Sales predictions for Ultima Online were low. Electronic Arts president John Riccitiello said Ultima "was never a big franchise." An Origin Systems employee estimated the game's maximum number of players could be 15,000. However, Stefan Janicki of GameSpot later said the game "quickly became one of the most commercially successful games ever." CNNMoney called it a "watershed event" and the first major hit in the Internet-only game genre. In the United States, Ultima Online appeared at #9 on PC Data's computer game sales rankings for October 1997. It had a list price of $65, and its average street price was $55 for the month. A writer for CNET Gamecenter said the game was part of a trend of role-playing successes in October, along with Fallout and Lands of Lore 2: Guardians of Destiny. He said, "If October's list is any indication, RPGs are back." Between its launch on September 25 and November 13, the game sold 65,000 units. In Japan, its first shipment of 5,000 units sold out within 15 minutes.

Ultima Online's sales rate was the fastest ever for an Internet-only game in 1997. It became Electronic Arts' fastest-selling computer game of all time. A writer for PC Gamer US said the game's popularity caused many reports of lost orders, delayed pre-orders, and stores running out of stock when it launched. In mid-November, Electronic Arts announced plans to ship an additional 80,000 units worldwide, including 15,000 for Japan. Most of the first shipment was sent to the United States. On November 20, the game became Japan's best-selling computer title of its launch month. By early December, Ultima Online had 70,000 global players, with 8,000 in Japan and 5,000 in Europe. The game dropped from PC Data's top 20 rankings in the United States during November, but the firm tracked 87,000 sales in the country alone by the end of 1997.

By December 1998, Ultima Online had 100,000 players, with an average of 12,500 playing at the same time and an average weekly playtime of 20 hours. IGN's staff said users paid $9.95 a month to play, which added up to $1 million in monthly revenue and $12 million a year. By March 1999, the game had 120,000 players, and by June, global sales had passed 200,000 units. A writer for GameDaily said this success was "almost like printing money." Player numbers grew to 150,000 by February 2000. By early 2000, Ultima Online and its Second Age add-on had sold 249,610 copies and earned $11.3 million in retail revenue. Gamecenter's Mark Asher said, "Add in its current 150,000 players at $10 per month, and you can see the appeal of online, fee-based games." Player numbers reached 165,000 by March 2000, which brought in $1.65 million a month, and 250,000 by October 2000.

By early 2001, Ultima Online had 20–30% female players, which was common for MMORPGs at the time. Japan remained a key market, with 64,000 of the game's 240,000 players. An Electronic Arts representative said, "While we do only a fraction of PC game business in Japan compared to EA's worldwide business, over 25% of Ultima Online business is done in Japan." By early 2003, the game had 225,000 players worldwide.

Ultima Online won "Online Game of the Year" and was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering" at the first Interactive Achievement Awards (now called the D.I.C.E. Awards). It received eight world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, including "First MMORPG to Reach 100,000 Players" and "Longest Running MMORPG." However, the "Longest Running MMORPG" record was later given to Furcadia, which was released nine months earlier. In May 2001, Ultima Online won the MPOGD game of the month award. In 2010, it became the first inductee into the Game Developers Choice Online Awards Hall of Fame. In 2012, Stratics gave Ultima Online a "Historic Achievement Award" to honor 15 years of innovation. Time named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time in 2012.

Ultima Online had many serious bugs when it first launched. Most were fixed with updates over the next few months. This started debates about whether companies would release unfinished games, planning to fix problems later.

Designers wanted to give players freedom and a sense of choice, so they allowed players to act as villains. The consequences of in-game crimes changed over time, but the focus on player freedom stayed the same. Designer Raph Koster said, "Being safe from evil is an uneven tradeoff for not being able to be heroes. People might prefer fighting pretend evil instead of real evil, but I still think people are better than that."

Ultima Online was sued by former player volunteers ("Counselors") in 2004. The case was settled without admitting wrongdoing. AOL trained customer service workers using its volunteers, then ended the program. Concerns about lawsuits led Microsoft to shut down its volunteer program for Asheron's Call.

Expansions and follow-up releases

Throughout the history of Ultima Online, many major updates have been added to the game. Expansion packs have been released often, each adding new content such as new areas, artwork, quests, items, or game rules.

Electronic Arts provides the official software that players use to connect to Ultima Online servers. Some other software made by outside companies was also used by players.

The 3D version of the game was first introduced with the Ultima Online: Third Dawn expansion. However, it received poor reviews because of technical problems, like memory leaks, and lower-quality graphics. In 2006, an update changed the size of characters and creatures in the game. By early 2007, Electronic Arts no longer supported the Third Dawn client, and attention shifted to the Kingdom Reborn client and its later version, the Enhanced Client. The Third Dawn client is no longer allowed to connect to Ultima Online servers.

Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn was announced in August 2006 and released on August 27, 2007. Developers shared clues through in-game events that led players to a website where they found a message and a video showing improved graphics. The update included better graphics, a simpler interface, shortcut keys, a new way to organize items, and a redesigned character sheet. These changes made the game look more modern and allowed easier updates without using old artwork. Electronic Arts called the Kingdom Reborn client "2.5d," meaning it used 3D technology but adapted it to work better on older computers. This client is available for free download.

Electronic Arts originally said the Kingdom Reborn client would replace the older Ultima Online client. By September 2009, the Kingdom Reborn client was replaced by a newer version called the "Enhanced Client." The Kingdom Reborn client no longer works on official game servers. The Enhanced Client kept the same graphics engine from Kingdom Reborn but used lower-resolution artwork similar to the original 2D client. Support for this client ended to simplify updates before the release of the Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss expansion.

A newer version of the Kingdom Reborn client, renamed the "Enhanced Client," was included in the Stygian Abyss expansion. It was tested in July 2009 as an open beta. Changes included better macro features, a more customizable interface, updates to the map system, and improved graphics. The high-quality graphics from the Kingdom Reborn client were replaced with lower-resolution artwork that resembled the original 2D client. This artwork was previously available in the Kingdom Reborn client as an optional choice.

Ultima Online has had several special releases that were not expansions or booster packs. These releases included boxed items or in-game extras.

Legacy

Electronic Arts planned two follow-up games, but both were stopped before they were finished so more attention could be given to the original game.

During the game’s early testing phase in May 1996, more than a dozen groups made by players had already formed.

Shadowclan became well-known in the online gaming world in 1997 for replacing non-player character orcs in Ultima Online. The former leader of Shadowclan, Ogur, was interviewed about the guild in the book Massively Multiplayer Games For Dummies. A mention of Shadowclan was included in the official documentation for Dark Age of Camelot.

Players who liked Ultima Online studied the game’s code to create copies of the original servers run by Electronic Arts.

In early 1999, some users started selling their game accounts online. One account sold for $2025, which is equal to $3,914 in 2025.