Some people are starting to think that U:O is in its decline, and that its death is pending. Here is their evidence:

a) From what I’ve read, virtually everyone involved with the game’s
inception has left.

b) The game’s live team seems to be attempting to change it into a
large-scale clone of Diablo 2. By that I mean that the dungeon Doom
has become the primary focus of the game, and gameplay has become
primarily item-based as opposed to skill-based. If you don’t believe
me, look at tradespot, check out the demand for LRC armour (as one
example), and also read about the “relic” phenomenon. Relics aren’t
much more than clones of the exact type of items that were present in
Diablo 2.

c) EA’s “Return to Britannia,” campaign last year did not instill
confidence in me, and I’m sure possibly did not in some other users as
well. It implied that the game was not as successful as it had been in
the past. Logically, why else would they be giving away free game
time, and offering free downloads of Age of Shadows, an expansion
which previously cost in the neighbourhood of $40 US? They seemed to
be attempting to regain an older portion of the player base who had
apparently stopped playing. I’m assuming the previous point may have
had something to do with this.

d) UO’s current population is approximately 165,000 according to
mmogchart.com. The game’s peak population level of 240,000 was
reached in April 2001. The current numbers indicate however that the
game’s population level has fallen by 32.25% in the last 28 months,
which also means that the population level is dropping consistently at
an average rate of around 1.5% per month. While this is not
necessarily meteoric, it does indicate a steady population haemorrhage
rate.

e) EA are no longer directly selling UO CDs or any new expansion packs
in Australia (as one example), which is the main reason why I myself
am sadly no longer able to play the game. EA also seem to be
attempting to gradually force all subscribers of their MMOGs to adopt
credit card usage as a primary means of payment. Since I do not have a
credit card, this means I am unable to play UO, and it also means I am
unable to play The Sims Online, which is another game I wished to
play. I have long suspected that the insistence on credit card
payments is the reason why The Sims Online has not met projected
subscription targets.

f) There is some evidence to suggest that the game’s current
programmers are frustrated with the age/possible obsolescence in some
respects of the game’s codebase. Although attempts at creating a
sequel have generally failed or been cancelled, work on the 3D client
has been incremental at best.