Update News
Why Ultima Forever Failed
Cordova, TN; August 4, in
the year of our Lord 2014--Family Friendly Gaming, the
industry leader in covering the family friendly video games is
helping Electronic Arts (EA) understand why Ultima Forever
failed. This iOS app was one of the many repeat pay to play
apps. Sure the progressives call it a “free app,” but they are
known for their redefinitions. Progressives are also not known
to be very truthful or accurate. So strike one against Ultima
Forever - it was free to download, and free to play - to a
point. That brings up the second strike against Ultima Forever -
brick wall. If you played Ultima Forever you know what I mean.
It was designed to have players pay for so many hours of game
play. Over and over again. Intelligent gamers left the app.
Even though Ultima Forever had a good video game name going for
it, it really was not allowed the time it needed to build up
support. Modern day companies are too impatient for insanely
high growth. Downloadable games are disposable. Unlike physical
copies of games. I talk to retro gamers all the time who would
buy a new Bible Adventures game because they have a cartridge.
No company is taking away their game from them. When the game is
on the EA servers, EA can pull the game from you at any point.
No matter how much money you sunk into it. You will now lose all
of your progress. Why? When you play a MMORPG on their server,
you are a renter. When you have a physical copy, you are an
owner.
Ultima Forever joins Yslandia on my iPhone. Apps that were fun
to play here and there. Apps that could have been so much
better. Apps that I would have gone back to at some point in
time. Apps that were pulled down by the companies. Apps that
will never work again. I keep these on my iPhone as a reminder
to why physical copies are so much better. They fuel my fire so
to speak. They remind me to be an owner not a renter. They keep
my perspective in check. They make me ask these companies when
will they release the physical copy so we can play offline by
ourselves. EA doomed Ultima Forever for failure right from the
start. If they had sold the game for ten to twenty dollars, and
let us play offline - it would have succeeded. If Ultima Forever
was released as a cartridge on the 3DS and/or PS Vita for thirty
dollars, and let us play offline - it would have succeeded.
I hope EA is listening. I hope they are not going to abandon the
Ultima series. I have a bad feeling Electronic Arts will try and
pin it on the Ultima franchise. When ultimately their business
decisions, and their business model are to blame for the failure
of Ultima Forever. While I wait for EA to get it right with the
Ultima franchise, I will play older Ultima PC games. I will also
dig up older Ultima games on systems like 8-bit NES. As an owner
of those games, EA can never take them away from me. I can play
them to my hearts content.
{UPDATE}: An additional reason Ultima Forever failed is the game
was not made safe for families. With all of the moral concepts
in Ultima, the game should have been made safer for families.
Families reject the macabre, morbid, and enticement to lust
content.
God bless,
Paul Bury
Family Friendly Gaming