3) With the discontinuation, certain games are no longer going to be produced. The death of Ultima Online 2 is obviously causing more ruckus than most cancellations. Since this game was so eagerly anticipated, can you tell me why the decision was made to axe it along with the rest of the projects in development?

Once again, only the people who made the decision really know. My guess is that it boils down to the same reason any company does anything. The bottom line. In their view, putting more money into UO2 or any other project we may have been working on didn't make sense to them from a financial standpoint. Now, I might disagree with that, but that's only because I don't have all the information and my perception is biased.

4) Was/Are there any plans to salvage whatever conception work or finished work accomplished thus far in the UO2 project?

Hard to say. Obviously some of the art resources have already been used by Third Dawn. Not sure how much more they could use. The two games were going to be very different from almost every perspective. My guess is that the files will sit around for a few years until they're deleted. It's happened before. Then again, it could just be wishful thinking on my part. I would much rather it remain a glorious dream than sold for parts. ;)

5) So, with UO2 out of the way, what's next? Can you speculate? Or are they taking a breather from a market that's becoming saturated with new kids on the block like Anarchy Online, Shadowbane, and Dark Age of Camelot, among others?

For EA or the market in general?

I don't know about EA, to be honest with you. They're still behind Earth and Beyond, Motor City and, of course, Sims Online. Sims Online will defiantly be a winner...and having Tyrant on board with that team will defiantly help. It does seem like they're leaving the sword and sorcery scene for a bit, but I might very well be wrong.

As for the market in general....well, eventually we're going to see some titles crash and burn. I think the way we're making games is shooting ourselves in the foot. The market for RPGs has never been that strong, yet almost every game that's coming out features spell casters and swords. How many can an emerging market support? I don't know, to be honest with you. I think some titles will do much better now that the 800-pound monkey we knew as UO2 is dead. If I was Mythic or Wolfpack I would be dancing a jig.

There are so many different kinds of games that could be made. Why isn't there a great Massively Multiplayer strategy game? Where's the great space sim (actually, there are a couple of strong contenders for this) Where's the groundbreaking title? Where are the sports games?

I think companies that hit new genres will do well. Anarchy Online looks to be a big hit, if Funcom can handle the customer service nightmare. Whatever Lord British makes is going to be incredible. Some concepts out there right now look interesting, such as Atriarch, even if I have my doubts about them. Other can't help but be big hits, such as Star Wars and The Sims. Who will capture this new market? We'll have to see. It'll be ugly when the first one flops though.

UO2 would have done very, very well, but that's mostly based on the experience of the team, the infrastructure that had already been built, the brand name and it's timing. Will another game with a sword be a big hit? I dunno, but except for EQ2 I doubt we'll see another fantasy game go over 200,000 subscribers...until the market shifts again, of course. :)

6) What are your personal plans now?

Well, I'm defiantly moving back to Colorado. My wife loves that state, and I have to admit I kind of like the mountains myself. I know for a fact, however, that I want to remain in gaming. I'm now hooked up with a great company in Colorado, Netdevil. They're making a game called Jumpgate. It's a space sim. You know, I've wanted to work on a space sim for a long time. I'm pretty damn happy to get the chance. We're a small operation, but trust me we'll be making waves real soon. :)

In the mean time, I get to enjoy things that most game developers never get to. I actually saw sunlight yesterday!

Plus there seems to be a small child crawling around my house. My wife says he's my son, so I think I'll take a bit of time to get to know him. :)

**I'd like to give Bob a big thanks for taking the time out to answer my questions and wish him the best of luck for the future!

 Mr. Finnegan is enjoying his recent release from the Corporate Discipline Gown (known to the laity as the straight jacket).