EA Denies Ultima Online 2 Discussion With Richard Garriott

EA is apparently confused about Richard Garriott’s claims that his forthcoming “Ultimate RPG” could become Ultima Online 2, as head of corporate communications Jeff Brown has told Industry Gamers: “I’m not sure what Richard Garriott is referring to. But no one at EA is discussing partnership or licensing opportunities related to the Ultima Online franchise.”

It’s hard to say who’s telling the truth on this one – Garriott could simply be trying to drum up some press for his upcoming title, or EA could be trying to keep things quiet for the time being to avoid losing any current Ultima Online subscribers or causing any unrest among the UO development team.  I suspect we won’t know who to believe until late next year, at the earliest.