SAN JOSE, CA - October 26, 2007 - Joymax, an independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for the global market, has announced today the upcoming release of new pets for its historical massively-multiplayer online role-playing game, Silkroad Online. Available on October 30th, the latest update includes companion animals that will be available for purchase in the game's item mall. Each creature offers a unique ability that will help players face the many perils lurking in Silkroad Online.

The four pets in the update include:

*Cat: An ability pet, the cat aids players by automatically picking up items within range and storing them in its own inventory slots. Ability pets are available for four weeks at a time and cannot be killed in combat.
*Penguin: Growth pets like the penguin provide assistance during battle. At level 40, the penguin will evolve into its final evolutionary stage, proving deadly to any enemies. Like other growth pets, when the penguin is killed, it can be revived with the grass of life.
*Fierce Tiger: The tiger is the finest vehicle pet available, and can carry the player across the Silk Road faster than any horses.
*Five Horned Rhinoceros: Transport pets like the rhinoceros help traders carry goods during trade runs. With increased speed and hit points, the rhinoceros can survive even the most treacherous routes.

Along with these additions, the update includes a new potion that doubles experience points for your pet.

Citizens of Britannia,

I wanted to share with you a significant change that is about to take place with the UO development team. Over the next several months, we'll be moving the team from its current location at EA's headquarters outside of San Francisco, CA to the EA Mythic studios in Fairfax, VA.

So what does this mean to you? This is a big move for the team, but we expect it to have very little impact on the game and community in the short term. Planned development and operations will continue with minimal interruption.

In the long term, we believe this move will be a big win for UO and will allow us to better support the game as we move into its second decade of operation. By having all three MMO teams together here in Virginia, we'll be better able to focus on Ultima Online’s development and ensure a long and lively future for the game."