When Ultima Online first launched, James Cameron’s "Titanic" had yet to debut in theatres, Tony Blair had just been appointed PM of the United Kingdom, and Mother Theresa and Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, had both recently passed on.  It was a very different world.  What’s incredible is that the game is still going strong almost 12 years later.  That dozenth anniversary takes place on September 25, and to celebrate, Mythic will be releasing “The Stygian Abyss,” the game’s eighth expansion.

Longtime Ultima fans might recognize the expansion’s name from the 1992 PC game, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss.  The expansion returns to the same vast dungeon featured in the 1992 release, though this time around, it’s much bigger; one of the biggest dungeons in the game, in fact.  The expansion will also include a new playable race; Gargoyles.  These stone beings have been a staple of the Ultima franchise, and "The Stygian Abyss" gives players their first chance to play online with them.  The expansion will also allow players to convert one of their existing characters into a Gargoyle, which is undeniably awesome.

Ultima Online may not post the astronomical numbers that World of Warcraft does, and its fan base has shrunk from a peak of about 250,000 players to a mere 70,000, but its core audience is one of the most dedicated and loyal in all of gaming.  Its longevity is truly astonishing, especially considering the generally brief shelf-life of MMOs.  Seriously, they’re like Running Backs; love them for two years, then they’re gone.  Ultima, therefore, is the Dorsey Levens of the MMO world; an extremely long career full of mediocre numbers.  I suppose, then, that World of Warcraft is the Adrian Peterson.