Ultima Forever is F2P RPG from BioWare

BioWare and EA have unveiled a new game in the Ultima series today: a free-to-play, browser and mobile title called Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar. The RPG is due for iPad and PC later this year, complete with cross-platform play, but the game is currently accepting beta sign-ups.

The official site sports a large beta sign-up button, which requires an Origin account. The game lets you choose between a Fighter and Mage class. The launch date for the closed beta wasn't detailed in the announcement, but EA promises more details for attendees of the San Diego ComicCon this weekend.

This game reveal comes just after Richard Garriott, who originally created Ultima, announced funding for his new Ultimate RPG for mobile platforms. It will have social hooks as well, but it seems that EA and BioWare will likely beat him to the punch.

"As huge fans of the Ultima franchise, the team at BioWare Mythic is not only excited to be able to bring this reimagining of the original rich world to the fans of the classic RPGs, but also to introduce a new generation of gamers who have never had a chance to discover why this is one of our industry's most beloved worlds," said BioWare Mythic general manager Eugene Evans, in the announcement.