BioWare launches free-to-play Ultima
Recognises "a fundamental shift underway in how gamers play and pay for games"
BioWare will launch a new PC and iPad title, Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, using the free-to-play model.
"There's a fundamental shift underway in how gamers play and pay for games, and Electronic Arts is a leader in providing new business models and new ways to consume content," said Dr. Ray Muzyka Bioware GM.
The game is due for release later this year
"As huge fans of the Ultima franchise, the team at BioWare Mythic is not only excited to be able to bring this reimagining of the original rich world to the fans of the classic RPGs, but also to introduce a new generation of gamers who have never had a chance to discover why this is one of our industry's most beloved worlds," added Eugene Evans, studio GM at BioWare Mythic.
Evans gave one of the keynote talks at this year's Develop conference, in which he emphasised the importance of free-to-play, and called it the "democratisation of game pricing."
"I know people have issues with it, but in my mind it's the best and most consumer-friendly [pricing]," Evans told attendees.
"Draw them in to a point where they want to say, I want to give you money, and they'll do it and enjoy it, and they'll pay you for it."