Richard Garriott Ultima rights: what he said
The Richard Garriott Ultima rights story starts with a claim: the designer known as Lord British says he will regain the series in 2027. The claim was reported on October 8, 2026 by Shacknews writer TJ Denzer, drawing on a YouTube interview Garriott gave to Jesse Petrilla of TechJesse. The interview date is not stated in the article, and this is the only source we could open, so everything here is Garriott's account rather than a confirmed ruling or filing.
Garriott sold Origin Systems to Electronic Arts in 1992. His explanation is that under what he calls "a really weird United States copyright law," an original copyright holder who assigns or sells it to a publisher can take it back after 35 years. He says no money has to change hands and that he only needs to give notice a year in advance. 1992 plus 35 years points to 2027, which matches the year he gives.
Why 35 years: the copyright rule behind the claim
Garriott does not name the statute in the quoted remarks, and the Shacknews article does not either. The rule he describes resembles the termination of transfers provision in US copyright law, often cited as Section 203, which lets authors end certain grants after 35 years by serving advance notice. That is our reading of the description, not something Garriott or the article confirms, and anyone relying on it should read the statute and a lawyer's analysis.
General copyright law also has limits that matter here. Termination typically applies to rights the author granted, not to works made for hire, and it concerns copyright, not trademark. The reporting we opened says nothing about trademarks, so who controls the Ultima name and branding is an open question. We are flagging it as unknown instead of asserting an answer.
“at the very least, it means I could re-release the earlier Ultimas, but it also means I could sequel them.”
What EA has said
Garriott says he notified EA in April 2026, which Shacknews describes as earlier this year. He relays EA's reaction as: "yeah, we know that's the law. We will act accordingly." That is a paraphrase in Garriott's words, not a quote from the company.
The Shacknews article reports nothing further from EA, and we found no statement from the publisher in the sources we could verify. Until EA or Garriott publishes something more formal, the safest reading is that the rights transfer is being claimed by the creator and not publicly disputed, which is not the same as confirmed.
What Garriott says he could do with Ultima
Garriott told the interviewer that regaining the rights means he could re-release the earlier games and also make sequels, saying "at the very least, it means I could re-release the earlier Ultimas, but it also means I could sequel them." He added that he would have control again of the future of his seminal product line, which Shacknews presents as a teaser rather than a plan.
No game, platform, funding or date was announced. The practical consequence for players in 2027 is therefore uncertain: it could mean older titles on modern storefronts, or a new project, or neither if negotiations change the picture.
Where Ultima stands today
Shacknews notes the last mainline entry was Ultima IX in 1999 and that later attempts, including the free-to-play Ultima Forever in 2013, did not revive the series. Garriott has since founded other studios, been involved in a lawsuit with NCSoft over one of them and flown to space as a private astronaut, according to the same article.
For a franchise that shaped computer role-playing games, the reality is a long gap. A creator-led return would be the first major shift in decades, but that depends on facts that have not been published.
What to watch next
Watch for three things: a formal statement from EA, any copyright office record of a termination notice, and a concrete project announcement from Garriott. Any of them would turn an interview claim into a verifiable fact.
We will update this article if they appear. Until then, treat the 2027 date as Garriott's expectation, treat the legal mechanism as his description, and treat any new Ultima game as unannounced.
Frequently asked
Will the Richard Garriott Ultima rights return in 2027?
Garriott says so. In an interview reported by Shacknews on October 8, 2026, he said a US copyright rule lets an original holder reclaim a transferred copyright after 35 years, and Origin was sold to EA in 1992. EA has not been quoted directly in the report, so the claim is unconfirmed by the publisher. Treat 2027 as his expectation for now.
What copyright law lets Garriott take Ultima back?
Garriott calls it a really weird United States copyright law that lets an original holder reclaim rights after 35 years, with notice a year ahead and no payment. He does not name the statute in the reporting we opened. It resembles the termination of transfers provision, often cited as Section 203, but that identification is ours and not his, so check the law.
What did EA say about Garriott getting Ultima back?
The only reply reported is Garriott's account of it: he says EA answered that it knows that is the law and will act accordingly. He says he gave notice in April 2026. The Shacknews article contains no direct statement from EA, and we found none elsewhere in the sources we could verify, so the publisher's position remains unconfirmed.
Is a new Ultima game coming?
No new Ultima game has been announced. Garriott said regaining the rights would let him re-release the earlier games or make sequels, calling that a possibility rather than a plan. The report gives no project, studio, platform or release date. The last mainline game was Ultima IX in 1999, and the last free-to-play attempt, Ultima Forever, came in 2013.
Does the copyright change cover the Ultima trademark?
The reporting we opened does not say. It refers to copyrights and IP rights without discussing trademarks. In general, copyright and trademark are separate rights, and a copyright termination does not automatically move a trademark. Who controls the Ultima name after 2027 is therefore an open question until EA or Garriott clarifies it.
When did Richard Garriott sell Ultima to EA?
Garriott sold Origin Systems, the studio behind Ultima, to Electronic Arts in 1992, according to the Shacknews report on his comments. He counts 35 years from that sale, which points to 2027 for the reversion he describes. The last mainline game, Ultima IX, came out in 1999, and Ultima Forever followed in 2013.