The Ultima rights are heading back to Richard Garriott, aka Lord British, with the series creator now saying he’ll officially regain control of the franchise from EA in 2027, more than three decades after he sold it along with Origin Systems.
This has been bubbling away since the summer, but it’s now moved from “he’s trying” to “he says it’s happening”, and he’s already talking about re-releases and even sequels. So is this the start of an Ultima comeback, or just a very nerdy legal victory? Let’s find out!
How Is Garriott Getting the Ultima Rights Back Without Paying a Penny?
This is the genuinely clever bit, because Garriott isn’t buying anything, he’s using Section 203 of the US Copyright Act, which lets creators terminate old copyright transfers after 35 years, and as Video Games Chronicle reports, all it takes is giving notice in advance, with no payment required.
EA bought Origin and Ultima in 1992 for $30 million, so 35 years later lands us neatly in 2027, and Garriott says he notified EA back in April, with EA replying that it knew the law and would act accordingly. In his own words, per VGC, “I get it back officially in 2027.” Not bad for one letter, is it?
- Sold to EA: 1992, alongside Origin Systems, for $30 million
- Last mainline game: Ultima IX: Ascension, 1999
- Last attempt by EA: the free-to-play Ultima Forever in 2013
- Rights reversion: 2027, under Section 203 of the US Copyright Act
- Notice served: April 2026, according to Garriott
Worth NotingThis covers copyright, not trademarks, and Inven Global notes that EA filed fresh “ULTIMA” trademarks in June. Exactly how much of the series comes back, and whether the name itself is a fight, is still being worked out.
Wait, Is EA Actually Working With Him?
Surprisingly, it sounds like it, because Garriott says he’s in active talks with EA about Ultima projects they could do together before the rights revert, which is a lot friendlier than the courtroom drama some of us, definitely not me, were secretly hoping for!
Inven Global also points out that the details are still being negotiated, since things like works made for hire and spin-offs built under older agreements can be treated differently, so it’s probably too early to say every single bit of Ultima is coming home in one neat bundle.
Could This Finally Mean Proper Ultima Re-Releases?
This is the part I care about most, because Garriott has said that at a bare minimum he could re-release the earlier games, and a series this important to the history of RPGs honestly deserves proper modern re-releases, not just being something you dig out of old PC bundles and wrestle into DOSBox.
He’s also said he could make sequels and will control where the franchise goes, and earlier reporting from Time Extension back in June covered his plan to bring old Ultima developers back together, though it’s still undecided whether a new game would be a single-player RPG or an MMO. [ADD PERSONAL NOTE: any history with Ultima, Ultima Online, or the old Origin games]
If you want to know what a good remaster of a beloved old RPG should look like, I had plenty to say about that in my Oblivion Remaster breakdown, and the bar is set at “please don’t just slap a filter on it”, which shouldn’t be too hard to clear!
So Is the Ultima Rights Return Good News for Players?
My take is a cautious yes, because a series sitting untouched in a publisher’s vault helps absolutely nobody, and handing it back to the person who created it is about the best outcome fans could ask for, at least on paper.
The worry is that passion doesn’t automatically mean a great game, and Garriott’s post-EA MMO Tabula Rasa shut down in 2009 after weak sales, so I’d treat clean, affordable re-releases of the classics as the realistic win here and any brand-new Ultima as a lovely bonus. Wouldn’t it be nice if the games were simply easy to buy again?
FAQ
When does Richard Garriott get the Ultima rights back?
Garriott says the Ultima rights officially revert to him in 2027, 35 years after he sold the series to EA in 1992.
How is Garriott reclaiming the Ultima rights from EA?
He’s using Section 203 of the US Copyright Act, which lets creators terminate copyright transfers after 35 years by giving advance notice, with no payment required.
Will there be new Ultima games?
Nothing is announced, but Garriott says he could re-release the older games and potentially make sequels, and he’s in talks with EA about working together.
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