Ultima Forever Doesn't Live Up to Its Name, Shuts Down After Only a Year

In May, publisher Electronic Arts announced that it was closing developer Mythic Entertainment, effectively ending the studio's projects. Mythic was responsible for Warhammer Online, Dark Age of Camelot, and Dungeon Keeper on mobile.

This week, Mythic stated that one of its last projects, Ultima Forever, will be shut down at the end of August. Its online services will cease to operate, rendering the top-down, free-to-play RPG for iOS and PC unplayable. This comes only a year after its August 2013 release.

"This was a very difficult decision for us to make," a developer on the Ultima Forever forums said. "We've seen the game through ups and downs, and hope that you've enjoyed playing it every bit as much as we had making it! Through it all, it's been players like you who've made it all worthwhile."

To mark the last month of the game, the developer is implementing several gameplay changes that include:

• Significantly boosted Virtue and Reputation rewards
• Equipment degradation to be disabled (no damage to worn/equipped items)
• Increased drop rate of Gold keys
• The in-game store will no longer sell premium currency (Silver and Gold keys)

Ultima Forever was the most recent addition to the storied and popular Ultima series that began in the 1980s. The creator of the original Ultima series, Richard Garriott, has been working on other projects such as an RPG called Shroud of the Avatar which passed $3.5 million in crowdfunding in March.

You can still play Ultima Forever until August 29. Did you ever try the game? Let us know in the comments.