01What happened

The story, straight

Richard Garriott, the astronaut and Texan castle owner who created the Ultima RPG series, has announced his intention to reclaim the franchise from EA using an unspecified copyright quirk rather than purchasing it outright. Speaking to Inside Games, Garriott said he's tried to work with EA on a Ultima revival 'every decade or so,' but talks always stalled. EA recently filed new Ultima trademarks, though Garriott wouldn't clarify their purpose. The series hasn't had a mainline entry since 1999. Garriott says he intends to retake the series as soon as next year.

Richard Garriott — the Ultima creator, astronaut, and guy who owns a literal Texas castle — told Inside Games he's planning to wrestle his RPG franchise back from EA. Not by buying it. By exploiting some copyright quirk he won't fully explain. EA just filed a bunch of new Ultima trademarks, which prompted Inside Games to reach out. Garriott's response: he's tried to revive the series with EA 'every decade or so,' they always flake, and he's done waiting. He wants it back by next year.

02Spread timeline

Where it actually started

Jun 20, 2026Origin
Inside Games reports EA filed new Ultima trademarks; Garriott responds to inquiry with his plan to reclaim the series.Inside Games spots EA's new Ultima trademarks, gets Garriott on record about his plan to take it back.
source

03Source receipts

Every claim, linked

04What's solid, what isn't

What's solid and what isn't

Confirmed
  • Richard Garriott intends to reclaim control of the Ultima franchise from EA.
  • EA recently filed multiple new trademarks regarding Ultima.
  • The Ultima series has not had a mainline entry since 1999.
  • Garriott plans to use a copyright quirk rather than purchasing the IP.
Disputed
  • The specific copyright mechanism Garriott intends to leverage.
  • EA's purpose for filing new Ultima trademarks.
  • Whether Garriott can realistically execute this by next year.
Developing
  • EA has not publicly responded to Garriott's stated plans.

05Why it matters

The editorial take

Ultima is one of the foundational RPG franchises in gaming history, and EA has sat on it for over two decades with no mainline entry since 1999. Garriott's legal maneuver — whatever it is — could set a precedent for creators reclaiming legacy IPs from large publishers. The fact that EA is filing new trademarks while Garriott is plotting a copyright-based takeover suggests both sides see value in the property.

Ultima basically invented the modern RPG and EA's done almost nothing with it for 25 years. Garriott playing legal chess to get it back is a creator-vs-publisher story people have been wanting to see. Whatever copyright quirk he's found — if it works — could be a template for other legacy IP holders.