Developer Otherside Entertainment announced today that Underworld Ascendant, the crowdfunded sequel to the Ultima Underworld series, will be published by 505 Games and released in 2018. It also now has a Steam page and a new trailer which is narrated by Stephen Russell, the voice of Garrett from the Thief series. It's the latest "immersive sim" from Paul Neurath and Warren Spector, who between them have worked on Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex and more.
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Underworld Ascendant is a proper sequel to Ultima Underworld, which was initially conceived as a first-person dungeon-crawling spin-off to the legendary Ultima series of RPGs and became the first game in a new genre - the Immersive Sim, first-person exploration and choice-focused action/adventures, a genre which incorporates System Shock, Bioshock, Deus Ex, Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, Thief, this year's Prey and even Minecraft. Ascendant may drop the Ultima name but it's a proper follow-up to the Underworld series.
Neil Ralley, president of 505 Games spoke out about Underworld Ascendant joining their portfolio:
“It’s another big moment for 505 Games, having the opportunity to partner with this talented team on such an iconic brand. Ultima Underworld is among the greatest PC RPGs ever made, and we look forward to what Paul, Warren and their team will accomplish with the next generation of the franchise.”
Otherside themselves had this to say in a backer update:
"We’re very excited to announce our partnership with 505 Games, finding in them a publisher who believes in our vision and is as excited about Underworld Ascendant as we are. Partnering with 505 will allow us to focus on what we do best – make games – while they help us get the game in the hands of more people. OtherSide will continue to develop the game and retain creative control over the project."
Underworld Ascendant was funded on Kickstarter in March 2015 to the tune of $860,356 with 13,987 backers. OtherSide Entertainment are a collective of industry veterans including members from legendary developer Looking Glass, the creators of Ultima Underworld, System Shock and Thief. Warren Spector joined OtherSide in February 2016, where he's also reported to be working on System Shock 3. Alongside the Ascendant team.
The game will feature a fully immersive underground world where you will have full choice over how you proceed in every encounter, whether in dangerous situations, talking to other races or just exploring. There will be a big epic plot, intense action, magic, and environmental manipulation. It will also be hopefully out 2018.
