Lord Richard Garriott Says He Now Controls Ultima’s Future

Richard Garriott says he now controls the future of Ultima, including the ability to rerelease the games and create sequels. The creator known as Lord British says he notified Electronic Arts in April 2026 that he was taking back his work and is now working with the company. His account moves the story beyond an effort to recover rights. According to Garriott, he can now build on the series he created, though that doesn’t establish that every trademark or other right tied to Ultima has changed hands. Lord British (Richard Garriott) has secured the rights to Ultima. He’s the sole owner now and is ready to rock with a new Ultima game! Let’s goooooo! https://t.co/VsfwhJj98U — Grummz (@Grummz) October 16, 2026 Section 203 generally allows authors to end certain copyright transfers after 35 years. Works made for hire don’t qualify, and separate limits apply to derivative works. EA bought Garriott’s Origin Systems in 1992. He now sees 2027 as the starting point for reclaiming copyrights, though the outcome depends on past contracts and how ownership was arranged. In a June interview with Inside Games, Garriott said he’d approached EA about reviving Ultima roughly once every decade. Those...