Richard Garriott, the creator of the Ultima role playing series, is preparing to reclaim the rights to the franchise from Electronic Arts by using a provision in United States copyright law. Garriott sold his studio Origin Systems and the Ultima property to EA in 1992, and a rule that lets creators terminate a copyright transfer after thirty five years means he becomes eligible to take the series back in 2027.
How can Garriott take the rights back?
The mechanism is the termination of transfers clause in US copyright law, which allows an original creator or their heirs to reclaim a copyright thirty five years after it was assigned. Because EA acquired Origin and Ultima in 1992, the window opens in 2027. Speaking to Inside Gaming, Garriott said he had been waiting and that, finally, the time had come. He has spent the better part of two decades asking EA to revive Ultima and being turned down, so the legal route is the first path that does not depend on the publisher saying yes.
There are catches. The termination rule applies only to United States rights, the process is notoriously technical, and the trademark on the Ultima name is a separate matter from the copyright. That is why observers expect any revival to launch under a slightly altered banner, something along the lines of Lord British Ultima, the nickname Garriott has used in game and in public for decades. EA has also filed fresh Ultima trademarks, which has fueled speculation that the publisher may have its own plans.
Why does Ultima carry such weight?
Ultima is one of the foundational pillars of the role playing genre. The mainline games earned acclaim for rich and reactive worlds, and the spinoffs were genre defining in their own right. Ultima Underworld helped invent the immersive sim, and Ultima Online, launched in 1997, was one of the first massively multiplayer worlds and shaped everything that followed it. Ultima 7 in particular is frequently cited as a direct inspiration for Larian Studios on Divinity Original Sin and later Baldur's Gate 3.
Despite that legacy, the series has sat dormant for a long stretch. EA produced a handful of Ultima projects after the acquisition, most notably Ultima Online, but the brand faded from view as the publisher focused on sports franchises and licensed properties. For younger players, Ultima is a name in history books rather than a living series.
What could a revival actually look like?
This is where enthusiasm meets caution. Garriott's track record is uneven. His crowdfunded spiritual successor Shroud of the Avatar never found solid footing, his earlier MMO Tabula Rasa shut down after roughly two years, and a later blockchain project drew skepticism. A modern Ultima would carry the weight of those misfires.
The counterargument is the surging market for deep computer role playing games. Studios like Larian and Owlcat have proven that dense, systems driven RPGs can sell enormously, and EA has shown no intention of doing anything with Ultima itself. Whether Garriott's vision lines up with what that audience wants is the open question, and he has hinted he will share more once his thoughts are together, with an appearance at Dragon Con expected to be the venue.