Richard Garriott, creator of 'Ultima', has initiated procedures to reclaim the copyright to 'Ultima' held by Electronic Arts (EA). While a return is not yet confirmed, Garriott has already notified EA of his intent to reclaim the copyright, and discussions between the two parties are reportedly underway.
In September, Garriott attended a panel at Dragon Con 2026 in Atlanta alongside Starr Long and Chris Spears, where he discussed the past and future plans for 'Ultima'. Ahead of the event, Dragon Con officially announced that Garriott would present his moves to regain control over 'Ultima'. During the panel itself, discussions spanned from early 'Ultima' development and the birth of 'Ultima Online' to his recent efforts to reclaim the copyright.
According to details shared by an attendee via Ultima Codex, Garriott has already notified EA of his intention to reclaim the 'Ultima' copyright under Section 203 of the U.S. Copyright Act. However, this does not include trademark rights, and Garriott and EA are currently in further discussions and negotiations regarding the actual scope of rights he can reclaim.
The ground Garriott is citing is the so-called '35-year rule.' Section 203 of the U.S. Copyright Act allows authors to terminate copyright transfers granted after 1978 if certain conditions are met. Generally, termination can take effect 35 years after the execution of the grant, and according to the U.S. Copyright Office, written notice must be served on the grantee at least two years and no more than ten years before the termination date.
Garriott first detailed this plan in an interview with Inside Games in June. He explained that in the past, he had discussed reviving 'Ultima' with EA roughly once every decade, but every time, talks broke down shortly after starting. Adding that he had waited a long time for this moment, he expressed that "finally, the time has come." Given that EA acquired Origin Systems in 1992, Garriott sees 2027 as the official start of the copyright reclaim.
However, reclaiming the 'Ultima' name itself is a separate issue. Copyright and trademark are distinct legal rights, and in June, EA filed new trademarks for 'ULTIMA' covering downloadable games, online games, and other software classifications. During Dragon Con, it was also noted that Garriott's copyright termination process does not cover trademarks. Garriott's past statement that "'Lord British's Ultima' will regain all the copyrights of my original work" appears to take this legal relationship into account.
What will be made after regaining the copyright has also not yet been decided. At Dragon Con, Garriott expressed a desire to reassemble developers who originally worked on 'Ultima' with him, but it remains undecided whether a new title would be a single-player RPG or an MMO. Garriott similarly explained in June that, apart from reclaiming the copyright, "what it will become is the next challenge." Fans at the event even asked about the possibility of a collaboration with Larian Studios, reflecting continued anticipation for a new 'Ultima'. However, there is currently no indication that an actual collaboration with Larian is underway.
Legal variables also remain. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, termination rights under Section 203 do not apply to works made for hire, and separate restrictions apply to derivative works created under prior grants. Ultimately, the scope of rights Garriott can actually reclaim may vary depending on the contractual agreements and copyright ownership structures of each past 'Ultima' title. Therefore, at this stage, it is difficult to definitively conclude that 'the entire Ultima IP will return to Garriott in 2027.'
Beginning in 1981, 'Ultima' is widely regarded as a seminal series that defined early computer RPGs, while 'Ultima Online', released in 1997, heavily influenced the subsequent development of the MMORPG genre. What is certain at this stage is that Garriott is not merely floating the possibility, but has actively initiated the legal process to reclaim the copyright. Whether Garriott's sentiment shared at Dragon Con—that "the best is yet to come"—will actually lead to a new 'Ultima' remains to be seen after 2027.
