3D Realms Returns After Five-Year Absence

[Atmos Duality]

Just because they're available doesn't mean they're available legally. "Abandonware" is not actually a thing - copyright doesn't magically evaporate just because the original developer is no longer actively selling it. The only way copyright stops applying is if the copyright owner specifically places the work in the public domain, releases it under a suitably permissive license, or the copyright times out (which I believe is now author's lifetime + 70 years, or something equally ridiculous).

Check the copyright statutes once again. In many areas, the copyright is not strictly valid if the IP holder is not taking any action to protect their copyright.

That's trademark law, not copyright.

 

[Skeleon]

I don't know about the rest of the games that are offered up here, but Bio Menace at least I'm certain was/is freeware, since I actually got it from the 3D Realms website for free a while back. Now they packed it into a bundle for buying, fine, but that doesn't retroactively turn the games I got as freeware into pirated games.

 

[Strazdas]

so they aren so much of back in business as they revived the company to cash in on peoples nostalgia.

Abandonware is just a fancy word for piracy. But the deal is not that great, yes.

No. Abandonware, legally, are software whose owner is no longer existant (bacnrupt, closed, what have you) and the rights for the software does not belong to anyone legally. the software is abandoned, hence abandonware. It is legal to download abandonware. that being said, these games are NOT abandonware, even if some sites incorrectly present it as such.

 

[keniakittykat]

Damn, that trailer was so manly and explosion filled, I think I just spontaneously grew a dick from staring directly into the awesome!

 

[RealRT]

Abandonware is just a fancy word for piracy. But the deal is not that great, yes.

No. Abandonware, legally, are software whose owner is no longer existant (bacnrupt, closed, what have you) and the rights for the software does not belong to anyone legally. the software is abandoned, hence abandonware. It is legal to download abandonware. that being said, these games are NOT abandonware, even if some sites incorrectly present it as such.

Abandonware is not a legal term. The owner still owns the copyright and thus, the work. Abandonware is not legal, it's just that nobody cares if you download it, since, you know, old.

 

[Flatfrog]

Abandonware is just a fancy word for piracy. But the deal is not that great, yes.

No. Abandonware, legally, are software whose owner is no longer existant (bacnrupt, closed, what have you) and the rights for the software does not belong to anyone legally. the software is abandoned, hence abandonware. It is legal to download abandonware. that being said, these games are NOT abandonware, even if some sites incorrectly present it as such.

Abandonware is not a legal term. The owner still owns the copyright and thus, the work. Abandonware is not legal, it's just that nobody cares if you download it, since, you know, old.

But like Strasdas said, if the original owner no longer exists as a legal entity, it's perfectly possible for something to have no legal owner. Whether in that case anyone else has the right just to take it is a slightly different question (if you find money in the street, technically you aren't allowed to take it) but it's certainly hard to describe it as 'piracy' by any measure.

Of course, in this case there's no grey area as the software does still have an owner.

 

[JarinArenos]

I'm still baffled over "partial controller support". What is this supposed to mean? Like... you can move and shoot with the controller, but the menu still requires mouse/keyboard?

 

[RicoADF]

No you are wrong I'm pretty sure I've seen multiple of these games available for free on reputable sites. It may have changed now considering this deal but I mean just off the top of my head here's Stargunner off gog.com for free. http://www.gog.com/game/stargunner

Or is that one also piracy?

Sorry you said Abandonware, which usually means sites that host it calling it Abandonware since it's no longer for sale. People misunderstand it as meaning it's legal to download when often their not. Normally it's simply a case of the publishers not bothering to chase up after games they aren't selling currently.

GOG is giving it away legally yes, probably a deal with the owners of the IP either as a gift or GOG might be paying for the licence and giving it to us for free, depends on what they've sorted out. If you had of said GOG I wouldn't have said anything as I know they give games out for free from time to time.

 

[heroicbob]

I seriously considered buying that when I saw raptor call of the shadows on there but i doubt it would live up to the nostalgia i have for it not for 20 usd anyway

 

[RealRT]

Abandonware is just a fancy word for piracy. But the deal is not that great, yes.

No. Abandonware, legally, are software whose owner is no longer existant (bacnrupt, closed, what have you) and the rights for the software does not belong to anyone legally. the software is abandoned, hence abandonware. It is legal to download abandonware. that being said, these games are NOT abandonware, even if some sites incorrectly present it as such.

Abandonware is not a legal term. The owner still owns the copyright and thus, the work. Abandonware is not legal, it's just that nobody cares if you download it, since, you know, old.

But like Strasdas said, if the original owner no longer exists as a legal entity, it's perfectly possible for something to have no legal owner. Whether in that case anyone else has the right just to take it is a slightly different question (if you find money in the street, technically you aren't allowed to take it) but it's certainly hard to describe it as 'piracy' by any measure.

Of course, in this case there's no grey area as the software does still have an owner.

There is always an owner, be it a CEO or someone else. And in many, MANY cases, the owner is alive and well, it's just that the game is not for sale.

 

[Jorpho]

No you are wrong I'm pretty sure I've seen multiple of these games available for free on reputable sites. It may have changed now considering this deal but I mean just off the top of my head here's Stargunner off gog.com for free.

Stargunner was indeed officially, legally, completely released as genuine freeware. I'm pretty sure Bio Menace was too, and so was Alien Carnage/Halloween Harry, and Major Stryker, I think.

Remedy also released a freeware Windows port of Death Rally, though I think it lacks the multiplayer features of the original DOS version (which you can in theory use over the Internet with DOSBox). There's also a freeware version of Boppin', but that's not on the list (and it is a pretty lousy game anyway).

But I'm pretty sure all the rest of these are most definitely NOT freeware. Most of them are still for sale on Steam and GOG, including Rise of the Triad and Blake Stone.

For those of you wondering about Keen Dreams, someone started an IndieGoGo [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-get-keen-dreams-re-released-legally] campaign to try to get the rights a while ago. SuperFighterTeam has the rights to an Android version.

I was really hoping that with the Atari/Infogrames financial difficulties that Commander Keen: Aliens Ate My Babysitter would wind up back in the hands of id, but no such luck. Not yet, anyway.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Squeee! Raptor!

Squeee! Terminal Velocity!

Squeee! Duke Nukem 3D!

Squeee! Rise of the Triad!

Squeee! Shadow Warrior!

Squeee! Wolfenstein 3D!

That was pretty much my first impression. However, I think people are looking at this the wrong way. This is a way to support the developers and get a great deal at the same time. I mean, as someone already said. It's only $0.67 a game. C'mon now. Also, these will all work right out of the box without any fussing with an emulator.

 

[Glaice]

Raptor is a classic of my 90s days in terms of top-down PC shooters that I loved. I may have only had the shareware but I played it to death!

 

[Jadwick]

I was just playing Nukem2 the other day on dosBox, and a lot of these other titles I played on shareware.

But I'm confused as well as some others here; aren't a lot of these titles sold to other companies? How can they sell them?

Yes, they own the trademark and the character and rights to all future games, but the good ones still belong to 3D Realms.

Nvm.