Fans of the Ultima series were dealt a depressing blow yesterday as revealed it had ceased on MMORPG Ultima X: Odyssey. The game was previously touted for a 2005 release, though of trouble on the project had been mooted by some sources for a while. "As of today, development on Ultima X: Odyssey has ended," producer David Yee confessed. "This isn't an easy decision but it's the right move for the future of all things Ultima, including the community and the team."

Apparently, no redundancies were made as a result of the cancellation, with Odyssey team members instead migrating to the UO expansion pack, the UO live team and an as yet unannounced UO project.

This is the latest move in a growing string of high-profile MMORPG cancellations, with Online, True Fantasy Live Online and Mythica all having been canned in recent months. If anything, these cancellations demonstrate just how competitive the genre is becoming - with the stakes and growing ever higher.

By Luke Guttridge