Ultima Online patch delayed because of Mythic shutdown

While last month the Broadsword Online team reassured players of its games that they would not be affected by the shutdown of Mythic Entertainment, Ultima Online Producer Bonnie "Mesanna" Armstrong has admitted today that update 86, originally slated for July, has been delayed until at least mid-August. "The shutdown of the Mythic Studio [...] has caused us to move the rest of our build machines from that office to the office in Herndon before we were expecting," she wrote in her producer's letter today. "So that has caused a delay in our publish time."

But there's also some good news for players of the veteran MMO. Here's some of what Armstrong says the team is currently working on:

• a new trade quest to acquaint players with the world,

• new Clean-up-Britannia rewards,

• a new interface for the enhanced client (helped along by a well-known player modder),

• a revamp of the Advisor program (what used to be called the Counselor program),

• revisions to the global loot system,

• anniversary rewards for the game's 18th birthday in September,

• and a return-to-UO promotion for former players in August.

Armstrong also notes that the UO team is looking to hire an engineer and site designer.