Richard Garriott, a game designer, astronaut, and owner of a private castle in Texas, recently revealed that he intends to take back control of the classic RPG series "Genesis" - which he sold to EA in the 1990s. Garriott said in a statement to Inside Games that he is unhappy with the way EA is running the series and plans to take back control of the series as soon as next year. However, he does not plan to buy out "Genesis" directly from EA, but plans to use a special provision of copyright law to achieve this goal.
Inside Games contacted Garriott after noticing that EA had applied for multiple new trademarks for Ultima. His response did not explain the purpose of EA's application for these trademarks, but only mentioned that the reboot of the series has been aborted many times - "Genesis" has not launched a legitimate sequel since 1999. "Almost every ten years, I try to work with EA to reboot Ultima," Garriott told Inside Games. "Every time, they show interest and are willing to start negotiations, but they quickly end it."
Frustrated by the continued stagnation, Garriott said he planned to take back the series that made him a fortune without spending a penny. As early as 1992, he sold his studio Origin Systems to EA. According to an unpopular copyright law, the original author has the right to withdraw the copyright after the work is licensed for 35 years. But the core point is that only the copyright is recovered: EA will still hold the trademark rights of "Ultima", which means that Garriott can make "Ultima"-related games, but must make a clear brand distinction with the IP owned by EA.
This operation sounds quite bizarre, but Garriott himself has always been unconventional. The "Ultima" series was one of the earliest and most vital computer game hits from the late 1970s to the 1990s. "Ultima 2" was published by Sierra. By the time of the third installment, Garriott chose to establish his own brand, Origin System Studios, in 1983. EA purchased Origins from Garriott in 1992 for $30 million, money he later used for his personal space travel hobby, building a medieval castle outside Austin, and being defrauded of a six-figure sum by a magician.
In short, the man known within gaming circles as the "King of Britain" is legendary in his own right. He did not clearly explain what the trademark applied for by EA pointed to, nor did he reveal what future "Genesis" games would look like. He suggested that fans pay attention to his upcoming attendance at Dragon Con Comic Con in Atlanta, where he said he "hopes to be able to sort out a clearer idea and explain to everyone what all this means."