"I would love to have access to the Ultima property," Garriott explained. "We've had discussions at very high levels with Electronic Arts about access to the property." He explained that "counter-forces" at the company have been hesitant about such an undertaking, adding, "So far we've not put a deal together, but of course, yeah, I would be very open to it." Check out the full interview for what Garriott has in mind besides medieval real estate and spaceships.
Update: EA head of corporate communications Jeff Brown recently contradicted Garriott's statements to IndustryGamers, explaining, "I'm not sure what Richard Garriott is referring to. But no one at EA is discussing partnership or licensing opportunities related to the Ultima Online franchise."
A spokesperson for Garriott further clarified, "Richard is not CURRENTLY having conversations at high levels with Electronic Arts regarding the Ultima franchise. He never said that he is. I can assure you, however, that those conversations have taken place in the past." This seemingly contradicts Garriott's sentiment that "We're in discussions with Electronic Arts even now about a possible marketing and distribution relationships and things of this nature," though we suppose he could have been talking about his Ultimate Collector project, the title of which does start with "Ultima."
Update: EA head of corporate communications Jeff Brown recently contradicted Garriott's statements to IndustryGamers, explaining, "I'm not sure what Richard Garriott is referring to. But no one at EA is discussing partnership or licensing opportunities related to the Ultima Online franchise."
A spokesperson for Garriott further clarified, "Richard is not CURRENTLY having conversations at high levels with Electronic Arts regarding the Ultima franchise. He never said that he is. I can assure you, however, that those conversations have taken place in the past." This seemingly contradicts Garriott's sentiment that "We're in discussions with Electronic Arts even now about a possible marketing and distribution relationships and things of this nature," though we suppose he could have been talking about his Ultimate Collector project, the title of which does start with "Ultima."
