Richard Garriott will regain legal control of the Ultima franchise from Electronic Arts in 2027 after exercising his termination rights under Section 203 of the US Copyright Act. He notified EA in April 2026 as required a year in advance, and EA has acknowledged the action. That reversion means Garriott can re-release the classic Ultima titles and commission new sequels; he is already in active talks with EA to see whether any joint Ultima projects can proceed before or after the rights formally revert. The move restores decision-making over one of the most influential early role‑playing series, known for establishing genre conventions in world‑building and exploration.
Garriott originally sold Origin Systems and Ultima to EA in 1992 for $30 million, left after EA canceled Origin’s projects in 2000, and the last mainline entry was Ultima IX in 1999. EA tried twice to revive the brand as free‑to‑play, most recently with 2013’s Ultima Forever. After leaving EA, Garriott founded Destination Games and partnered with NCsoft on the MMO Tabula Rasa (2007), which closed in 2009; he also spent 12 days aboard the International Space Station in 2008. The upcoming copyright reversion returns control of the franchise to its creator and opens the door to both preservation and new development under his stewardship.
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