Thank you for visiting Phi Psi Software. If you are looking for the Flash version of Ultima IV, it is no longer available for download from this website. We received a Cease and Desist notice from Electronic Arts, which owns the copyright for the game, on March 11, 2011. Ultima IV can be found for free on other sites mentioned in this article here. As to the timing of the cease and desist, I will not speculate. Even if a rumoured remake was in the works, I think that allowing people to explore the classic version of the game in flash would only increase sales in the long run for Electronic Arts.
About the Phi Psi Flash Ultima IV project
This project began as a 3 month labour of love in January 2010, while I was unemployed after seven plus years at Electronic Arts as a games programmer (oh the irony). Looking for a project that I could get excited about and be challenged by, I set out to remake to the seminal classic Ultima IV. I had played and loved it as a teenager when it first came out in 1985. Its storytelling, richly layered themes of truth, love and courage really spoke to me, and I wanted to be able to help make this important game more widely accessible. I did this for no pay and have never received any income from remaking the game.
My thinking was that since Ultima IV had been made freely available for a number of years from other sites, a flash remake of the game would be welcomed. In the 10 months that the game has been active on this website, over 40,000 visitors have visited or revisited Britannia in all of its glory. I have received emails from all over the world, from people who were kids when Ultima IV first came out and were now sharing the game with their own children. Students at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx were using it to explore the quest narrative in their studies. People were discovering and rediscovering this great game.
I thank you for having played the game and for your emails of support. If you would like to send a testimonial of your experience playing my flash version, I am planning to plead my case to E.A. for this flash version to remain available.
