[Kyrandian]

{start rant}

Abandonware. Often thought of, rarely discussed in AG. A no longer profitable game is discontinued by a manufacturer, instantly making a limited edition of each already produced game. Whenever i think of abandonware i think of family guy. Fox stopped showing family guy, and adult swim and DVD sales drove the creators to make new episodes. I cant help but feel that if abandonware were more socially acceptable (in these forums especially) then the geniuses who made the games we love so dearly (and the evil companies who stopped making them!) might see there is in fact interest in future editions or re-releases or sequels of the games they thought people stopped caring about. I think people should consider abandonware as an ultra low budget ad campaign for defunct software companies. Personally speaking, if i poured my heart and soul into a game in the 90s and gradually saw the checks decline, and ultimately disapear, i would take solace in the fact that gamers are still enjoying my brainchild, despite the fact that they may not have paid for it. Is it better to never play a game you've been dying to play but could never find in stores by downloading it, or to fruitlessly search forever? I'm not advocating piracy, there's a big difference between abandonware and this, i just think that hard core gamers think game writers of old games care more about the distribution of their products than they really do. I'd be thrilled if a game i made 14 years ago is still creating joy for the people i created it for in the first place.

{end rant}