Former EA Manager Suggests Dormant Franchises Like Ultima and Wing Commander Could Be Sold Off Following Saudi-Led Buyout

Electronic Arts possesses a vast catalog of historical franchises alongside its major current labels like sports games, Battlefield, and The Sims. Following a Saudi Arabia-led buyout of the company, questions have emerged regarding the future of these older properties. Emmanuel Rosier, who spent nearly a decade as a high-level manager at EA apprising the company of market trends and is now the director of market intelligence at Newzoo, recently spoke with PC Gamer about the potential fate of these unused assets.

According to Rosier, EA holds numerous dormant intellectual properties that have gone unused for many years. Mentioning classic franchises like Ultima and Wing Commander, Rosier raised the possibility that some of these properties could potentially be sold off or handled by hiring external studios to leverage the IPs. Given that EA is reportedly taking on $20 billion in debt as part of the buyout—with widespread expectations that mass layoffs will follow to control that debt—selling off old intellectual properties could serve as a method to generate quick cash flow.

Beyond Ultima and Wing Commander, EA's extensive catalog includes additional classic names such as SimCity, Burnout, Dungeon Keeper, Populous, SSX, and Spore. Rosier noted that leadership might choose to leverage these properties either through outright sales or by engaging external studios to work on them, potentially considering avenues like mobile games. However, many classic franchises remain unavailable on modern platforms like Steam, leaving their legacy largely preserved through fan patches and community efforts rather than official channels.