Richard Garriott Plans to Reclaim Ultima 35 Years After $30 Million EA Sale
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 20
Richard Garriott Plans to Reclaim Ultima 35 Years After $30 Million EA Sale
3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jun 20
Summary
Richard Garriott said he aims to retake control of Ultima as soon as next year, using a U.S. copyright reversion right rather than buying the series back from Electronic Arts.
The move follows years of failed revival talks with EA, which Garriott said repeatedly opened discussions about bringing Ultima back before dropping them.
Under the 35-year rule, Garriott could reclaim the copyright tied to work sold with Origin Systems in 1992, but EA would still control the Ultima trademark.
That split means he could potentially make a new Ultima-related game without owning the brand name itself; EA recently filed new Ultima trademarks, though their purpose remains unclear.
The franchise has not had a mainline entry since 1999, and Garriott said he hopes to explain more about his plans at Dragon Con in Atlanta.