From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action


So, Richard Garriot is trying to reclaim the Ultima brand from
Electronic Arts.

This isn't actually news; Garriot has been trying to reclaim the IP
for decades. EA always politely listens to his requests, but they
never go anywhere because... well, who the fuck knows why EA lets
their old IPs rot, but it's just something they always do. But Garriot
is making another push.

Part of the reason for the most recent attempt is a rule that allows
creators to reclaim copyrights (not trademarks) from corporations
after 35 years, and that time-limit rolls over in 2027. But Garriot is
probably also hopeful because --thanks to the impending EA buy-out and
the $20 billion of debt EA is about to claim for itself-- the
corporation is much more likely to want to relinquish old IPs in hopes
of getting in some much needed cash. The copyright clause would only
get Garriot /some/ of the property; a sale might get him all of Ultima
for a few million. There's no better time for him to succeed than now.

Or it might just prompt EA to finally start USING the property and
making new games.

I can't really say I'm all that excited about Garriot getting back the
rights to Ultima, though. As much as I love the classic games, his
track record since then hasn't been very good... and the best games of
the series only were as good as they were because of others, and not
so much because of Garriot's involvement (and often Garriot's
involvement even in Ultima was detrimental). Honestly, I'd much rather
see the Ultima trademark passed to somebody else (maybe Warren
Spector?) than Garriot.

But if Garriot's pressure helps dislodge the Ultima IP and get us new
games, that's all for the good. Even if it's another Garriot flop, at
least it'll keep the name in the public eye, and then maybe somebody
competent could take over and make something good out of it! ;-)




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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:09:39 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

I can't really say I'm all that excited about Garriot getting back the
rights to Ultima, though. As much as I love the classic games, his
track record since then hasn't been very good... and the best games of
the series only were as good as they were because of others, and not
so much because of Garriot's involvement (and often Garriot's
involvement even in Ultima was detrimental). Honestly, I'd much rather
see the Ultima trademark passed to somebody else (maybe Warren
Spector?) than Garriot.

I agree. I don't have much faith in Garriott either anymore. I have no
idea what Spector has been up to lately but I'd rather he have control
of any future potential Ultiima game.

Please post if you hear anymore updates on this.
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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

On Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:29:08 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> said
this thing:

On Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:09:39 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson ><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

I can't really say I'm all that excited about Garriot getting back the >>rights to Ultima, though. As much as I love the classic games, his
track record since then hasn't been very good... and the best games of
the series only were as good as they were because of others, and not
so much because of Garriot's involvement (and often Garriot's
involvement even in Ultima was detrimental). Honestly, I'd much rather
see the Ultima trademark passed to somebody else (maybe Warren
Spector?) than Garriot.

I agree. I don't have much faith in Garriott either anymore. I have no
idea what Spector has been up to lately but I'd rather he have control
of any future potential Ultiima game.

Please post if you hear anymore updates on this.

I saw Larian Studios (they of "Baldurs Gate 3" and the "Divinity
series fame) suggested as a better alternative.

It's not that I think Garriot should be cut out entirely. I'm fine
with him owning the license and farming it out to other studios. But
his input and influence should be limited. He's not very good at
business management, his more modern games haven't been all that much
fun, and his storytelling abilities have always been minimal. His
concepts of an open sandboxed world overlayed with an epic story (and
pushing early CRPGs away from the simplistic 'kill-the-evil-foozle'
loop) were welcome additions to the genre. But he hasn't really kept
up with the times.

Garriot, reclaim the license. I'm all for it. Then hand it off to some
talented group, maybe spit out a few ideas, and then step back and let
them do all the work. If they ask you some questions, answer them but
be comfortable knowing that nothing you say will be binding. Just sit
back and collect the royalties. It'll work out better for everyone.


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From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:29:08 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> said
this thing:

On Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:09:39 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

I can't really say I'm all that excited about Garriot getting back the
rights to Ultima, though. As much as I love the classic games, his
track record since then hasn't been very good... and the best games of
the series only were as good as they were because of others, and not
so much because of Garriot's involvement (and often Garriot's
involvement even in Ultima was detrimental). Honestly, I'd much rather
see the Ultima trademark passed to somebody else (maybe Warren
Spector?) than Garriot.

I agree. I don't have much faith in Garriott either anymore. I have no
idea what Spector has been up to lately but I'd rather he have control
of any future potential Ultiima game.

Please post if you hear anymore updates on this.

I saw Larian Studios (they of "Baldurs Gate 3" and the "Divinity
series fame) suggested as a better alternative.

It's not that I think Garriot should be cut out entirely. I'm fine
with him owning the license and farming it out to other studios. But
his input and influence should be limited. He's not very good at
business management, his more modern games haven't been all that much
fun, and his storytelling abilities have always been minimal. His
concepts of an open sandboxed world overlayed with an epic story (and
pushing early CRPGs away from the simplistic 'kill-the-evil-foozle'
loop) were welcome additions to the genre. But he hasn't really kept
up with the times.

Garriot, reclaim the license. I'm all for it. Then hand it off to some talented group, maybe spit out a few ideas, and then step back and let
them do all the work. If they ask you some questions, answer them but
be comfortable knowing that nothing you say will be binding. Just sit
back and collect the royalties. It'll work out better for everyone.

I guess I approved of Everything Up To Ultima 8. If Garriott could
swallow his pride and say they went too far with Ultima 9 and 10, that
they extended beyond their capacity and reach and started from somewhere around Ultima 7 with a new mode in mind, there could be something really
good come from it. You look at all these games with numbers: Metal Gear, Contra etc. These guys start with their form of basic and at the final
highest sequel they get close to what they really wanted it to look like
and were capable of controlling with their idea base. Ultima 10 is very different from say Ultima 3. You've got to realize that Garriott must
have some regrets about Ultima 10 (what a farce). It was just too much
for him, full 3D, the open reality so big and wide, what's the first
thing they do, put atrocity after atrocity in hidden places and call
them Easter Eggs. That's no way to fill a wide open role playing game.
Ultima is known for its beauty not its Macabré.
--
We eat the night, we drink the time
Make our dreams come true
And hungry eyes are passing by
On streets we call the zoo
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