“EA killed off Ultima in 2000, and it has languished since, despite an ardent fandom.”
EA bought Ultima in 1992, ran it into the ground, and then sat on the corpse for 26 years. Richard Garriott got it back with a 1976 law that lets creators void a copyright transfer after 35 years, whatever the contract says. Publishers hate that clause. This is exactly why it exists.