It has been revealed that game creator Richard Garriott will soon regain the rights to the “Ultima” series, one of his most famous works.
He sold the rights to EA in 1992 and is now reclaiming them under U.S. copyright law.
Richard Garriott created the first game in the series, *Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness*, in 1981. In 1983, he founded Origin Systems, of which he was the CEO, and in 1992, the company was acquired by Electronic Arts.Garriott subsequently left Origin Systems in 2000. He is also known for having embarked on a 12-day space voyage in 2008.
Garriott made remarks regarding the rights to the “Ultima” series during an appearance on “TechJesse,” a streaming channel that features various figures from the gaming industry. In the United States, there is a system that allows previously granted rights to be terminated after 35 years, and Garriott plans to use this system to reclaim the rights from Electronic Arts.
Discussions are currently underway, and they are exploring ways to collaborate with EA
In April of this year, Mr. Garriott discussed reclaiming the copyright to “Ultima” from Electronic Arts, and it appears the company responded that it would handle the matter in accordance with the law. He states that active discussions are currently underway to determine whether there are any “Ultima” projects they can work on together.The official reclaiming of the rights is scheduled for 2027.
Mr. Garriott has commented that regaining the rights will allow him to control his flagship IP, enabling him to release past titles in the series as well as create new sequels.
