Ultima IX Ascension
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Ultima creator Richard Garriott claims he will get the IP rights back from EA in 2027
Ultima creator Richard Garriott claims he will regain the intellectual property rights to the series from Electronic Arts in 2027, citing a US copyright law that allows for rights reversion after 35 years. Garriott has indicated plans to revive the dormant franchise, which last saw a mainline entry with Ultima IX in 1999.
I never thought we'd get a new Ultima RPG, but now that series creator Richard Garriott is getting back the rights…
Series creator Richard Garriott is set to regain the rights to the Ultima RPG franchise from Electronic Arts as early as next year due to US copyright law. Garriott, who sold Origin Systems and the Ultima IP to EA in 1992, has initiated the process to reclaim ownership, which could lead to re-releases or sequels of the foundational RPG series.
Gothic blev det Ultima 9 vi aldrig fick
This article analyzes how Piranha Bytes' Gothic, released in 2001, succeeded as a role-playing game where Ultima 9: Ascension failed. While Ultima 9 promised an open-world 3D experience but delivered a buggy and unoptimized product, Gothic, despite its "European jank" and technical limitations, offered a living world and a sense of genuine player immersion. The piece suggests Gothic filled the void left by Ultima 9's shortcomings and influenced subsequent European RPGs.
Ultima's creator Richard Garriott is planning to win back the rights to his legendary RPG from EA with an 50-year-old copyright quirk
Ultima creator Richard Garriott plans to reclaim the rights to the legendary RPG series from Electronic Arts using a provision in the Copyright Act of 1976 that allows authors to reclaim copyright after 35 years. Garriott, also known as Lord British, stated that he intends to regain all copyrights to his original work, though he acknowledges that this would grant him ownership of the copyright rather than the trademark, meaning he could create a game similar to Ultima but not use the 'Ultima' name.