Richard Garriott is reclaiming the rights to Ultima from EA

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Ultima creator Richard Garriott says he will regain the rights to the series from Electronic Arts, VGC reports. Garriott sold Ultima and his studio Origin Systems to EA in 1992 for $30 million. EA cancelled all of Origin's projects in 2000. The last mainline game was Ultima IX in 1999

The way he is getting it back is fascinating. Section 203 of the US Copyright Act lets authors reclaim copyright transfers after 35 years. No payment is needed, just a year's notice. Garriott gave EA that notice in April 2026, and EA replied that it knew the law and would act accordingly

Garriott summed it up neatly. He said there is no money that needs to transfer, and all you have to do is tell them a year before you take it back. The rights come back to him in 2027. He said that will give him control again of the future of his seminal product line

He is not going to war with EA, though. He says he is in active talks with the publisher about possible joint Ultima projects. That could mean re-releases of older games or brand new sequels. EA's last attempt at a revival was Ultima Forever in 2013, which did not last long

Ultima is one of the most important series in gaming history. It helped define the role playing game, and Ultima Online was one of the first big online worlds. Seeing it back in its creator's hands is exciting. It also shows that Section 203 could become a big deal for other games from the late 1980s and early 1990s

Did you ever play an Ultima game? And which other classic series would you like to see return to its original creators?

Richard Garriott Is Officially Regaining Control Of The Ultima Serieswww.videogameschronicle.com