EA - Lord of Ultima Released

We've mentioned this once before but this will probably be the last...EA's online city-builder Ultima-flavoured cash-in has been released.  It's completely un-RPG related but the use of Ultima and Phenomic (Spellforce) as the developer gets our attention long enough for the release announcement:

EA'S PHENOMIC INTRODUCES STRATEGY GAME 'LORD OF ULTIMA'

Free-To-Play Web-Based Game Transports Players to Legendary Ultima Universe

Guildford, UK – April 20, 2010 – Phenomic™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, announced today Lord of Ultima™, a new browser-based online strategy game is available worldwide for free* starting today. Lord of Ultima immerses players in a brand-new, deeply-rich strategy game set within the Ultima universe. The game introduces innovative social features, such as advanced trading, alliance creation, online chat and community forums, which make for an endlessly entertaining experience.

“Lord of Ultima was designed to ensure that everyone, from strategy newcomers to diehard fans, can make it to the top of the leader board,” said Volker Wertich, Creative Director at Phenomic. "Phenomic is committed to building dynamic communities that delight players as they interact with the game, each other and the legendary world of Ultima.”

To become the Lord of Ultima, players will master the arts of diplomacy and trade, as well as the military activities of spying, plundering, and the takeover of enemy cities. Set in the new world of Caledonia, players start the game as eager conquerors in the early stages of raising an empire, and then move from developing a humble village and evolving it into a prosperous, highly customized capital. Players can flourish as peaceful merchants by trading resources over land or sea and using diplomacy. They can also become feared conquerors, by creating mighty armies of knights and mages to crush enemies.

Lord of Ultima is a free-to-play MTX browser-based game. No download or installation is needed and players do not need to register to play. Lord of Ultima is available in English and German and is playable now by visiting www.lordofultima.com.