Game designer, astronaut and Texas castle owner Richard Garriott has revealed his intention to regain control of Ultimatethe classic RPG series he sold to EA in the 90s. a statement made to Indoor gamesGarriott expressed his frustration with EA’s handling of the series and stated that he intended to return to the series as soon as next year. However, he has no intention of purchasing Ultimate out of EA, instead using a copyright quirk.
Indoor games contacted Garriott after noticing that EA had filed several new trademarks relating to Ultimate. His response doesn’t specify what EA’s goal is for these brands, just that there have been several false starts in relaunching the series, which hasn’t had a main entry since 1999. “Every decade or so, I’ve tried to work with EA on a relaunch of Ultimate”, says Garriott Indoor games. “They always seemed interested enough to start talking, then drop the discussions just as quickly.”
Frustrated by the holding patterns, Garriott expressed his intention to return to the series that made him a fortune without having to spend one. Since he sold his studio, Origin Systems, to EA in 1992, an obscure copyright law states that the original creator is allowed to reclaim the work after 35 years. But the key word is copyright. EA would still keep the registered trademark has Ultimatewhich means that Garriott would be able to make a Ultimate game but should mark it distinctly EA property.
It’s a quirky game to make, but then again, Garriott is nothing if not quirky. THE Ultimate The series was one of the earliest and most enduring video game successes from the late 1970s to the 1990s. Ultima II was published by Sierra, but by the third game, Garriott chose to create his own label in 1983, Origin Systems. In 1992, EA would purchase Origin from Garriott for $30 million, money it would spend on amateur space travel, building a medieval fortress outside Austin and having six figurines stolen by a magician.
The one who calls himself “Lord British” is, in short, a character. He did not specify what EA’s brands refer to or what the future will look like. Ultimate would be. He suggests fans come watch his next appearance at Dragon Con in Atlanta; Until then, he says he “hopes to have more thoughts together about what that will actually mean.”