Today, Netamin announced its intentions to keep Ultimate Baseball Online (UBO) 2006 free to play. This is "due to high interest from advertisers," with ads set to appear on in-game billboards. UBO 2006's total game play hours have apparently increased by 50% over the past four months.

"The success of a unique gaming concept like Ultimate Baseball Online is driven by its community of players," commented Judy Key Johnson, chief operating officer of Netamin. "It's a win-win situation for our company and for the UBO gaming community if advertising revenue can continue to keep our game free to play for all. Market research has shown that in-game advertising in sport games is not only accepted by players as a preferred alternative to subscription fees, ads provide a more realistic sports game experience as they mirror the real sports world."

To find out more about UBO 2006, please visit ultimatebaseballonline.com.