The Top Five MMOs That Never Were

MMORPG.com breaks down five of the most promising massively multiplayer role-playing games that were eventually cancelled before hitting store shelves. Ultima X: Odyssey is the top pick, and I'd have to agree:
Ultima Online is well recognized by many as the father of the modern MMORPG, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the idea of making a second game in the franchise has been kicked around a few times.

The first time, it was Ultima Online 2 or Ultima Worlds Online: Origins. When an announcement was made in 2001 that Electronic Arts was putting an end to the game, thoughts of an Ultima sequel were pushed to the backburner Until August 22nd, 2003 when EA and Origin announced that they would be making Ultima X: Odyssey. Here's what the original announcement press release had to say about the game:

"Powered by the latest version of the Unreal Engine and based on the renowned Ultima(TM) single-player role-playing series, UXO will enable players to create personalized legacies in a massive new online world and will be one of the first of its kind to offer private areas on demand within the game."

Ultima X would have been the first Ultima game to be developed without Lord British Richard Garriott at the helm.

EA announced the cancellation of the game on June 30th 2004, stating that they felt that they needed to focus their resources on the game that started it all, Ultima Online.
I thought Microsoft's Mythica had some potential, too, though that isn't one of the games mentioned.