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Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

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Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#61

Post by seba_dos1 »

RF_Savage wrote: post #58
bathtub365 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they would also prefer players to buy new games, rather than giving old games a revenue-less long tail. Especially in the modern games market where so many studios are trying to make live service games with potentially endless revenue.

Maybe, but the C&C Red Alert 2 used as an example is relevant, because Electronic Arts has released the previous games in the series as 100% free downloads, but not open sourced them. So the original Command & Conquer, Red Alert and Tiberian Sun are free as in beer now.

Uhm, aren't Tiberian Sun and Red Alert (at least the parts with main game logic) GPLv3 now?

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#63

Post by ibobev »

ID Software released the source code of their classic games up to "Doom 3: BFG Edition"[1] but it is unlikely that they will release the code for any of their newer games. I think that the reason is using a closed-source middleware owned by other companies in their newer titles.

Any modern AAA game even with its own engine uses one or more third-party middleware which hinders its release as an open source.

[1] https://github.com/id-Software/DOOM-3-BFG

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#64

Post by ivanjermakov »

ibobev wrote: post #63

ID Software released the source code of their classic games up to "Doom 3: BFG Edition"[1] but it is unlikely that they will release the code for any of their newer games. I think that the reason is using a closed-source middleware owned by other companies in their newer titles. Any modern AAA game even with its own engine uses one or more third-party middleware which hinders its release as an open source. [1] https:…

What is the "middleware" in context of game development?

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#65

Post by account42 »

> What do games studios gain by not making source code for old games (when available) public?

You have got that the wrong way around. What do games studios gain by releasing source code for old games? Unfortunately, very little. Some good will, maybe a bit of free advertising.

Meanwhile releasing the source is never free. At the very least they will need to pay someone to go over the source and check if they actually own all of it and remove anything that they cannot release.

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#66

Post by account42 »

linguae wrote: post #3

I would imagine that for some games there is still a lot of money to be made making the most out of 95-year copyright lengths, and while open sourcing games per se is definitely not a relinquishment of copyright, it could affect the profitability of further monetizing those games by relinquishing some control. For example, Nintendo has re-released its retro games in various ways; I have a Super Nintendo Classic I pur…

Open sourcing a game does not mean also releasing the assets under a free license. Usually players still need to buy those.

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#67

Post by KronisLV »

ammo1662 wrote: post #48
bisby wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then don't release those things. id open sourced the Doom3 engine, but didn't open the game assets. People ported it to linux. If you wanted to play doom3 on linux, you still legally needed to own the game to get the assets, you just had an open source way of running those assets on linux. Open sourcing of the doom engine is basically why "this literal toaster runs doom" is a meme now. Plenty of old enough games will…

Yes, so if you want to open source a legacy game of your company, you will need additional efforts to remove those game assets. So you can make sure that you do not have any legal troubles. I think that's the reason why they do not want to open source their old games.

> I think that's the reason why they do not want to open source their old games.

In other words, either their finances are too tight to spare the effort, or they simply don't care about their games as works of artistic merit that might need to be preserved or even improved across generations of devices and operating systems, but rather just as products to earn money off of and then abandon.

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#68

Post by account42 »

tacocataco wrote: post #52

Copyright on intellectual property should cover this right? Shouldn't these corporations be forced to release the source code on that basis?

Yes, it WOULD make sens for copyright to work this way. A limited time monopoly in exchange for making sure the work actually enters the commons after that limited time. Unfortunately what we currently have is a much much worse deal for society.

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#69

Post by account42 »

jimbobthrowawy wrote: post #56
hnthrowaway0328 wrote: post #49

I think you really need someone like Carmack to push for open source. It's rare.

IIRC it was someone else inside of id that pushed for source code release. He no longer works there though, which is a shame because the doom eternal engine is fantastic and I don't think anything else uses it.

TTimo?

Re: Ask HN: Why do games companies not release source code for old games?

#70

Post by account42 »

hirako2000 wrote: post #35

Would then get requests, why does it not compile. Simple 3 component apps don't even have CICD. Games? Mike built that binary and scp'd it on the box. I know we need it to build the map editor to build the next level, Don't ask him for a new build he's been in a bad mood his linux jamed, he may rebuild it, wait for Xmas.

This is not a problem at all. Most open source games have had their source code dumped over the wall and people figured out how to get it to build without further help from the original developer.
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