Last month, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise, Blizzard announced and immediately made available Warcraft I: Remastered and Warcraft II: Remastered, in addition to version 2.0 of Warcraft III: Reforged. However, the return of the first two titles in a new form is actually not good news from the point of view of preserving these classics.
Warcraft I & II will be removed from the GOG store
For many years, players have been able to enjoy Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II Battle.net Edition on the GOG platform. In addition, the two titles had just joined the GOG Preservation Programensuring that they work on future Windows configurations, DRM-free and with technical support.
However, GOG is now forced to remove the game from its store, probably due to the new versions. Note, however, that owners of both games will be able to continue to enjoy them and that GOG will still guarantee their preservation.
The company takes the opportunity to update its policy by now committing to maintaining and updating a game, so that it remains compatible with modern and future systems, even if it is no longer available for sale on the platform.
So you have until December 13, 2024 to get Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II Battle.net Edition on GOG, before they leave the store forever.
Certainly, the new editions can be purchased on Battle.net, but there is no guarantee that the platform will still exist in several years, and in this case, players will certainly no longer have access to licenses, contrary to what is proposed on GOG.
An act which contradicts a desire for preservation
When we remember the words of Sarah Bond, the president of Xbox, this withdrawal of the two Warcraft from GOG clearly crosses the throat. Indeed, in April, it announced the creation of a “new team dedicated to the preservation of games, which is important to all of us at Xbox and to the industry itself”.
“We build on our strong history of backwards compatibility for our players, and we remain committed to keeping the incredible library of Xbox games alive for future generations to enjoy. »
His comments here specifically concerned the “Xbox games library”, but it seems completely unwise to prevent players from taking advantage of GOG's preservation program, especially for a license as legendary as Warcraft. Indeed, the franchise now belongs to Microsoft, following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard King in 2023.
In the same vein, Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has spoken out several times in favor of the preservation of games, for example by praising the benefits of legal emulation.
The company has since closed its Xbox 360 games store, making games and demos disappear forever. Even Double Fine, a studio owned by Xbox, had taken a little dig at the company on this subject.
We hope that in the future, Microsoft will put a little more emphasis on the preservation of games. Again this month, an in-house game will be removed from the store, namely Forza Horizon 4.
The full GOG press release translated into French
To the GOG community and gamers everywhere:
We are deeply saddened to announce that Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II will leave our store on December 13, 2024.
At GOG, we believe games should live forever. This means not only preserving them, but also ensuring that they remain accessible, updated, and enjoyed on modern systems – everything GOG's preservation program is designed to ensure. However, despite our dedication and efforts, sometimes everything does not go as we would have liked.
It's hard to see these masterpieces leave our store, but it also reminds us why our mission at GOG is so important. That's why we've decided to update one aspect of GOG's Preservation Program policy:
In the future, even if a game is no longer available for sale on GOG, as part of GOG's preservation program, we will continue to maintain and update it, so that it remains compatible with modern and future systems.
We're incredibly proud of our work on Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and Warcraft II, bringing them back to life after decades of unavailability and introducing several improvements to ensure the best possible experience, as close to the original as possible.
Although we will soon no longer be able to offer these games in our store, everyone who purchased them before they were removed will still be able to enjoy the most compatible and high quality versions, guaranteed by the Game Preservation Program. GOG.
And since we are DRM-free, you will have access to their offline installers, which will guarantee you lifetime access to enjoy them whenever you want. That's what these titles – and you as players – deserve.
Thank you to everyone who supports us in our mission to preserve video games. It's not just about the games themselves; it's about honoring our shared journey as players.
With all our gratitude, The GOG team ????
Related News :