Electronic Arts to shut down Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar later this month

Strangers, Seekers, and Avatars all, hear ye, hear ye! I bear not so glad tidings. Electronic Arts (EA) has just announced that Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar is shutting down soon. In a post on the game's official forums, the Ultima Forever team says that the free-to-play RPG title, which was released on the App Store just about a year ago, is scheduled to terminate its online services and cease its availability altogether at 11 a.m. EDT on Aug. 29, 2014. No specific reasons have been given as to why EA is pulling the plug on Ultima Forever. Presumably, the game's cancellation has to do with the recent shutdown of the studio behind the game, Mythic Entertainment, which also developed Dungeon Keeper. It may also have to do with its being free-to-play. If you can't see the video embedded above, please click here. In any case, the Ultima Forever team is offering the following set of improvements as a thank you to players during the game's last month of live operations:

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)

Until its scheduled shutdown, Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar is available on the App Store for free. See also: Part 2 of the Dark Ages world arrives for Plants vs. Zombies 2, Electronic Arts confirms that a new Peggle game for mobile is inbound, and Real Racing 3 Presents Ultimate Showdown Of Classic Ferrari Supercars.