EA updates Ultima trademarks: still no new game confirmed

Thanks to our friends from PhraseMaker, we know that Electronic Arts has updated its trademark for Ultima, the classic PC RPG series, so it now has current legal protection covering downloadable PC games and online entertainment services. That by itself doesn’t point to a new Ultima project. For older properties, trademark renewals and wording updates are often just routine legal upkeep.

The new filings replace older language about games sold on “magnetic media” with Class 009 and Class 041 wording that matches how people actually buy and play games now. Put simply, Electronic Arts is making sure the Ultima name stays protected in the market as it exists today.

Still, this isn’t confirmation that a new Ultima is on the way. Companies renew and update trademarks for legacy franchises all the time.

If you follow classic PC RPGs, it’s still an interesting move around a major name, just not a revival announcement. The Ultima series hasn’t had a new single-player entry since Ultima 9: Ascension in 1999.

EA’s main tie to the franchise since then has been Ultima Online, the MMORPG that launched in 1997 and is somehow still being supported today.

It’s also smart to keep expectations in check. Over the past several years, Electronic Arts has focused on a smaller group of major franchises and live-service games, even as Richard Garriott has repeatedly said he’d like to make a new single-player Ultima and has pitched ideas before.

For now, Ultima Online is still available on PC. Any new single-player Ultima remains unannounced.