DCT: If there is a god, never. But since I'm sure EA/Bioware want it here anyway and since there are people who actually want it, lord knows why so it should come at some point but hopefully not before we get the last two good Ultimas released here Worlds of Ultima 1 and 2.

oldschool: I never quite understood why so many Ultima fans hated U9, I loved it. I still have an existing copy and would love to get a digital version of the game.

DCT: '
Because 1. it was a horribly buggy game that was seemingly damn near impossible to launch and run

2. It personally pissed on every Ultima game ever made, everything that made Ultima well Ultima and destroyed what little continuity the series had.

3. It was not done by really anyone who had worked on any Ultima game in the past, even Richard Garriott, instead it was done by a pack off halfwits who had little clue of what made Ultima special and instead thought they could make it "better" sort of like Falout 3, KQ 8, Command and Conquer 4, ect.

4. Even if one looked at it as a just a game and not a Ultima it was pretty mediocre.

That answer your question on why we hate it?

oldschool: Yeah, i guess it does. Personally i love it. I agree that it was a buggy mess, but after a few fan-made patches it's aces.

Dolgorath: You can always track down an old copy of Ultima Online 7th anniversary edition which included Ultima 9 as a pack-in. Those old used copies sell pretty cheap on Amazon.

randomfox: A better question is why would we WANT 9? They already gave us 8 which was an unfinished piece of shit, I don't think we wanna deal with something even worse then that.

bhoqeem: Well, I still keep all digital copies of my Ultima games from the old days--from Akalabeth to Ultima 9. I was so happy when I saw them released at GOG and bought the most "playable" ones--starting from Ultima 7 bundle. The previous ones--well, I could no longer stand the graphics and gameplay, except for Ultima 6, which is still my favorite. I replayed the incarnation of Ultima 5 through the Dungeon Siege mod version and enjoyed it very much.

What I love the most are Ultima 7 series, though. I fondly remember Serpent Isle as the first RPG I've ever played that felt so deep, back in 1994. IMHO, the only RPG game that could closely matched or even win over it in terms of story telling, plots and background, was Xenogear (now, I REALLY wish that game to be ported to PC or even remake. It would be a blast, for sure).

Hhhh....

Speaking of Ultima 9, I have played it with the community patch and found it very stable, very playable. But like many Ultima fans, I too miss the companions--Iolo, Shamino, and Dupre. Without them, the Avatar felt so trite and hollow throughout the game.