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As others have said, there are multiple reasons: 1) they may not even have it. The source code for lots of classic games have been lost. By some estimates at m

As others have said, there are multiple reasons: 1) they may not even have it. The source code for lots of classic games have been lost. By some estimates at much as 90% of pre-2000 source code is gone. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/saving-video-gamings-source-code-treasures-before-its-too-late/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/01/saving-video-gamings-... 2) the game may use code from other companies or libraries or something that they don't own. 3) it might even be unclear who actually owns the source code now. 4) it isn't worth the time to get things straightened out. Nightdive studios tried to rerelease No One Lives Forever and the companies that might possibly own the game hadn't digitized the contracts and either weren't interested in the hassle or wanted Nightdive to pay them to take the time to look and promised to refund them if they didn't. https://kotaku.com/the-sad-story-behind-a-dead-pc-game-that-cant-come-back-1688358811 https://kotaku.com/the-sad-story-behind-a-dead-pc-game-that-...

ajdude 2y ago
> 3) it might even be unclear who actually owns the source code now. It took years and a ton of negotiation for the developers of conquest frontier wars to secure the rights to the game from Ubisoft so they could release their source code I have a feeling that the most difficult barrier is getting past the publisher
bathtub365 2y ago
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.
- RF_Savage 2y ago
  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.
  - seba_dos1 2y ago
    Uhm, aren't Tiberian Sun and Red Alert (at least the parts with main game logic) GPLv3 now?
    - RF_Savage 2y ago
      Not really in anyway, they are freeware. OpenRA might be GPL, but that's a complete re-implementation and extension of the original engine.
      - seba_dos1 2y ago
        I'm not talking about OpenRA, but the source released by Electronic Arts under GPLv3 with the Remastered Collection: https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection It doesn't include the full engine, but as far as I'm aware this is the full source for parts specific to Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, as the main motivation for releasing the source was to facilitate modding. I haven't looked very deep though, so do correct me if I'm wrong.
thewileyone 2y ago
"No One Lives Forever" was an amazing game. It's a shame that it's "lost".

ajdude 2y ago

> 3) it might even be unclear who actually owns the source code now. It took years and a ton of negotiation for the developers of conquest frontier wars to secure the rights to the game from Ubisoft so they could release their source code I have a feeling that the most difficult barrier is getting past the publisher

bathtub365 2y ago

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.

RF_Savage 2y ago
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.
- seba_dos1 2y ago
  Uhm, aren't Tiberian Sun and Red Alert (at least the parts with main game logic) GPLv3 now?
  - RF_Savage 2y ago
    Not really in anyway, they are freeware. OpenRA might be GPL, but that's a complete re-implementation and extension of the original engine.
    - seba_dos1 2y ago
      I'm not talking about OpenRA, but the source released by Electronic Arts under GPLv3 with the Remastered Collection: https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection https://github.com/electronicarts/CnC_Remastered_Collection It doesn't include the full engine, but as far as I'm aware this is the full source for parts specific to Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, as the main motivation for releasing the source was to facilitate modding. I haven't looked very deep though, so do correct me if I'm wrong.

thewileyone 2y ago

"No One Lives Forever" was an amazing game. It's a shame that it's "lost".