EA confiscates 15 trillion gold from Ultima Online

"Dirty money" yanked from gameworld, more than 180 accounts terminated for exploiting the system.

The world of Ultima Online just got a little poorer. Electronic Arts has announced the permanent removal of roughly 15 trillion gold from the game's economy and the termination of more than 180 user accounts in connection with the funds, which it referred to as "dirty money."

In a posting on the game's Web site, the company announced that the funds were confiscated in the form of large denomination checks. In-game checks were intended to top out at a million gold pieces, but EA discovered a number of players with checks far exceeding that amount. The publisher said "these inflated checks have been used by exploiters to store extremely large amounts of gold."

A quick survey of eBay found Ultima Online gold sellers typically asking for between $3 and $4 per million gold pieces, with the few auctions that actually had bids on them running closer to $1 per million gold pieces. Even at the low end of that range, the real-world value of the deleted gold would be about $15 million, and possibly closer to the $60 million some online sellers would ask for it.

113 Comments

  • Sylvas87

    Posted Mar 25, 2007 11:15 pm PT

    Gotta love EA. I log in once, to see if anyone still played, and I get labeled an exploiter and banned.

  • Cloud737

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 6:26 am PT

    Heh, another gold farming case, eh? Oh well, it`s not such a surprise.

  • Lyndy62

    Posted Nov 19, 2006 6:48 am PT

    UO should have died a long time ago. There has been several attempts to bring UO into the 21st century but they have all failed. The game may be fun, yet, when compared to present day MMO's, the archaic graphics and cheats ruin an otherwise enjoyable experience. UO is the model that all other MMO's spawned. It is a bit of history in the computer age. But sadly, I feel it has run it's course and needs to RIP. Maybe one day they will create something that again captures the imagination of gamers like UO once did. However, I think we have become jaded from over exposure and the experience of another UO in its infancy is probably not possible.

  • metroidfan220

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 7:27 am PT

    That's just crappy.

  • CrimeMyAntiDrug

    Posted Jul 27, 2006 2:44 am PT

    Actually, one of the major reasons people still play this game is because out of all of the MMOs out there, including WoW, it has the best PvP of any of them. Not to mention the fact that it is a lot easier to start out in, doesnt require you to completely devote your life to the game if you want to have a useful character, and despite the dated 2d graphics, it is still just downright enjoyable.

  • 00Rambol00

    Posted Jul 18, 2006 5:33 am PT

    I only have one thing to say....


    HAHAHA!

  • SambaLele

    Posted Jul 17, 2006 7:58 pm PT

    that's a great game, but sadly it's really easy to cheat/ exploit in that game...

  • usaokay

    Posted Jul 16, 2006 11:43 pm PT

    Ha ha, owned.

  • theRunninGamer

    Posted Jul 15, 2006 9:18 am PT

    I wish I had $15 million.

  • coltACP

    Posted Jul 15, 2006 5:27 am PT

    I can see why they did it, people other than EA making lots of money lol. Also crazy-go on GW now they reverted the gold drops and item drops when they introduced factions- its like christmas again

  • Cra2y

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 11:00 am PT

    180 users? lol there goes the UO community. Delete accounts and then nerf the hell out of farming. That'll fix their wagon.

  • Cra2y

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 10:50 am PT

    lol, delete money and accounts and then nerf the game. I remember playing GW and its farming, they nerfed it and the game got tedious and boring as far as making gold. And in GW if you were not farming and running with a group, "your party shares 100 gold". Its just ghey if it takes to long to make money in a game, it loses its "fun factor"

    low gold drops, nerfed farming

    make items in game outrageous prices

  • SoberWarock

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 2:46 am PT

    What is the best game EA has ever made?!

  • evilyoda861

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 9:35 pm PT

    I haven't even heard of this game. EA sucks so bad I wont be surprised when they go under with their **** games resently. Not like this will ruin any lives, or make them better so just something they want attention for. Hell wouldn't doubt they exaggerated some of it.

  • superkhy

    Posted Jul 13, 2006 12:33 am PT

    sounds more like a desperate cry for attention to me ("GUYS! CHECK OUT THIS HUGE NUMBER THAT MEANS NOTHING TO ANYONE! YES! SOMEONE IS LOOKING OUR WAY!")

  • joehead

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 6:25 pm PT

    Do people still play this game?Wasn't this like from 1969?Whats a MMO?How many licks to get to the centre of a tootsie pop?Why does it hurt when I pee?Do people still play this game?

  • chemnikk

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 11:22 am PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • Star67

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 10:52 am PT

    aww man, it looked like this was gonna be about spore.

  • jsambeckwith

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 8:06 am PT

    I don't even know what Ultima online is... nor do I care...

  • cayne_phoenix

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 2:12 am PT

    are people still playing this game?! :-p

  • TheVelvet

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 4:30 pm PT

    I also thought this article would be about Spore from the picture posted.

  • Sino21

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 3:53 pm PT

    Haw, from the pic that they posted on the last word, I thought it was about 15 trillion possible beasts in Spore, but this is intresting too.

  • nametaken

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 10:11 am PT

    It'd be interesting to hear from a cheater. Their motivations, what they gained, how much they lost, was it worth it to get their account canceled, etc.

    I think it's strange how we play so many games implementing a life of crime and violence, but we absolutely admonish anyone that partakes in any game-centric criminal activity.

    Hey, I hate the idea of gold farming, too. I just want to hear from some of these people.

  • rlsmith42

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 8:11 pm PT

    EA pwns the cheaters! And saying "Who plays UO?" is like saying "Who plays the original Final Fantasy?"

    They were the diffinitive start of a genre, and they can't be forgotten.

  • Kanaric

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    :
    Ultima Online? I'm sorry, people are still playing this game?

    Why not? Its a good game and still has a high population.

    The reason is that is has decent PVP something that every single new MMORPG lacks. Also it doesnt require you to have no life to play.

    Just because it has old graphics doesn't mean nobody plays it, lol.

    btw: WoW pvp doesn't classify as decent, its well below average.

  • Admiral_T

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:07 pm PT

    Just because EA didn't find an exploit that allowed people to save more gold than allowed, they ban 180 accounts?
    Money caps should be banned, people should have the right to save as much gold as they can.
    Unless they are completely abusing farming. (which most of these people probably were, but still...)

  • chickenslave

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 2:42 pm PT

    Vamroc, Im sorry, but thats the dumbest thing Ive ever heard. Im sure if you ever worked on any project like an MMO, you'd not be saying that right now. Peoiple aren't Gods, they can't just smell out glitches before players find them.

  • vamroc

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 12:15 pm PT

    They found a bug and exploited it its not the players responsiblity to play FBI and NARC on other players. The program writers for Ultima should have seen that kind of abuse potential coming from a mile away.

  • TheSergeant

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 12:11 pm PT

    Ultima Online? I'm sorry, people are still playing this game?

  • runstalker

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 11:22 am PT

    Between SOE's peak era on EQ and SWG where they flubbed multiple expansions (shipped incomplete, etc.) and the rise to prominence of gold farmers, the MMO image has been tarnished for years. All we needed was a tipping point, and that point happened via saturation--thanks to dozens of substandard efforts from Asia. Many of these titles, painfully mediocre games to begin with, have a style overwhelmingly geared towards Asian gaming culture and tastes: we're talking internet cafe business-friendly stat grinding, thousands of FedEx quest 'narratives', non-consensual PK w/ item/exp loss, point & click character movement, irritating website plug-ins and 'anti-hack' agents. All the kind of stuff that 'grinds' against western sensibilities--and it's built-up to this MMO backlash we're now seeing. Who wants to pay a monthly fee for that kind of experience?

    A little while back I remember some THQ exec said (paraphrased): "There's no way we're getting into MMOs now"--referring to the climate of the genre, with Blizzard's WoW riding so high. That brief window when all the lesser MMOs popped out and enjoyed their ride aboard WoW's tail feathers (late '04-05) is now over and closed. The backlash against MMOs is here. Only a couple of Korean MMOs, WoW, and Guild Wars have escaped alive and well. The rest are online to serve small cult-like subscriber communities, while casual online game portals rake in more revenue in ads from raw visits alone. It comes down to this, developers: unless you're a clearly different online experience, a persistent game like Huxley let's say...forget about challenging the MMO leaders right now. Unless you have something really new to offer, just kick back and catch the next wave. Or god forbid, start it yourself. Bit more evolution, 'lil less imitation.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 11:20 am PT

    I remember this game.

  • jaefrmbk2k

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 10:52 am PT

    shuttup

  • Greatwasabi

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 10:29 am PT

    Those people who are saying EA is taking it too seriously need to read. 180 accounts doing that, if they sell the gold at 1$ per Million, and 15 trillion was confiscated, thats about 15 million dollars. Split between 180 accounts, they'd get around 90,000 dollars for cheating. And that's called illegal.

  • Pablo620

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 9:15 am PT

    Its sad that something as awesome as online gaming has to be ruined by cheaters

  • Flan_Man

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 8:54 am PT

    You realize that this will lead to a depression in Ultima Online. 1929 all over again. Oh wait. It is a game. Only 180 accounts toasted? How could 180 rake in 15 trillion gold and not be stopped before now?

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 8:18 am PT

    wow. a lot of wasted time for those users that got their acct deleted!

  • Thanos_of_MW

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 8:01 am PT

    Cheaters online ruin the experience for others. Good that they kicked them out and got rid of the fake money.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:51 am PT

    Does anyone even play that game anymore? With FFXI and WoW around, who needs such dated software like UO?

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:04 am PT

    Good job, EA!

  • The_ruller

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:27 am PT

    Stupid cheaters...

  • rynmls

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 12:35 am PT

    bad for you

  • Connor24

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 11:45 pm PT

    I hate it when people ruin mmos by causing inflation.

  • ForlonHope

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 10:31 am PT

    its called farming

  • Safe_Bet

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 8:59 am PT

    Who would have ever guessed that "cheating" was such a basic human instinct...


  • evolutiontapped

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 7:20 am PT

    Haha, if you havent played UO recently you may not understand this article fully.. I quit UO in part, not fullly because, gold farmers would block dungeons and kill anyone who came in so they could sell the gold for cash. A very frustrating situation, especially when they would release a dragon on the first floor.

  • Carpe_Noctum

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 3:53 am PT

    Maybe it's time to have a EA section? There vomit litters this news area daily.

  • jeebs213

    Posted Jul 9, 2006 12:44 am PT

    anyone lame enough to be playing Ultima Online AND to be cheating on it deserves to have thier account terminated. As I see it, EA did them a favor. Welcome back to the real world!

  • slickr

    Posted Jul 8, 2006 6:28 pm PT

    Who the **** playes this game anymore!?!?!!?!?!

  • SemiMaster

    Posted Jul 8, 2006 5:01 pm PT

    MMO games are totally stupid as the economy is so screwed up after the first two or three years making it nigh impossible to start as a newbie, let alone keep afloat as a regular. Isn't Ultima Online like 11 years old now too?

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