Richard Garriott, the creator of the influential Ultima series, has confirmed that he will soon regain the rights to the franchise from Electronic Arts. This development is enabled by Section 203 of the US Copyright Act, which allows authors to terminate prior copyright transfers after a 35-year period. Garriott sold his company Origin Systems, which held the Ultima intellectual property, to EA in 1992 for approximately $30 million. He notified EA of his intent to reclaim the rights in April 2026, and the publisher has acknowledged the applicability of the law and agreed to proceed accordingly, with the rights expected to officially revert to him in 2027.
This image depicts Richard Garriott, the video game designer who is regaining control of the Ultima franchise from Electronic Arts via copyright law provision.
The Ultima series is widely regarded as one of the most influential early RPG franchises, having established many genre-defining norms in world-building and exploration. The last mainline entry in the series was Ultima IX, released in 1999, though EA has made several attempts to revive the franchise in the years since, most recently with the free-to-play title Ultima Forever in 2013. After leaving EA in 2000 following the cancellation of Origin's projects, Garriott founded Destination Games, worked on the Tabula Rasa MMO, and became a private astronaut who spent 12 days aboard the International Space Station in 2008.
Once the rights return to his control, Garriott has indicated he is in 'active discussions' with EA about potential collaborative projects involving the Ultima franchise. More broadly, he anticipates having several options for how to proceed with the IP, including the possibility of re-releasing earlier entries in the Ultima series or developing new sequels. Garriott framed this development as regaining creative control over his seminal work, stating that he will have control again of the future of his seminal product line. He noted having approximately a year to determine the best path forward for the franchise once the legal transfer completes in 2027.