GOG announces game preservation program for abandoned titles

GOG has announced a new game preservation program where it will use its own resources to preserve titles that are no longer supported by their original maker. Currently, it includes a total of 62 titles including classics like Diablo, Dragon Age: Origins, Resident Evil, Warcraft (1 and 2), and System Shock. This number will grow gradually once games pass GOG's quality parameters.

For now, GOG Preservation Program works only with Windows. Linux and macOS support could be added in the future, but it could be a while before that happens because there's a ton of Windows games that require preservation. Only games that are no longer actively maintained by their original developers are eligible. Even then some could slip through the cracks due to licensing and IP laws.

GOG will attempt to keep the game as close to its original state as possible. If necessary, it will add quality-of-life improvements such as support for modern controllers, localization, and cloud saves. Currently, GOG is offering hefty discounts on some older titles. Like every game purchased on the platform, they're DRM-free and come with an offline installer.

In an era where older games are often lost to time, GOG's endeavor comes as a breath of fresh air. The industry needs a lot more of these, especially for other platforms. However, overly legislative companies like Nintendo make the whole thing tricky by cracking down on emulation.