>game is 20 years old
>the publisher refuses to release the engine source code under public license, even though they can
Why does this still happen? What do the publishers have to lose by letting the community make optimized source ports of their old games on modern machines, especially when you still need the actual game files to play the original games through them?
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Because they are dicks.
Because of the off chance it could make them that delicious, delicious $$$.
They never do anything with these old games though. The most you can ever really hope for is a release on GOG or Virtual Console with no enhancements at all, sometimes looking and playing worse than they did on the original hardware.
At least by releasing the source code under public license they can renew interest in the IP, and sell more game licenses through GOG and Steam. People still buy Doom just so they can play the source ports and mods like Brutal Doom.
>Why does this still happen?
Because it's their game and they can do whatever they want with it. They might not want to see it turned into something ridiculous and ugly like telejano quake or darkplaces.
>EA
>caring about the "artistic integrity" of a game made by a studio that no longer exists and developers who they fired a decade or longer ago
It's as if EA lives to shut down cool fan projects rather than encouraging and supporting them. Which is not news to pretty much anyone.
>why come copyrighted material isnt free
>This is their first project.
I don't have high hopes honestly.
hurrrr give me something for free!!!!! REEEEEEE
Not even arguing that the game should be free, just the source code for the engine so people can make source ports and mods for it. With Zandronum and GZdoom you still have to have the actual Doom game file installed on your computer in order to play Doom through them, and they do not include it.
some guys are nice.
Carmack released the source code for Return to Castle Wolfenstein for example.
I'll bet you gave tim schafer money.
The last game I bought from Tim Schafer was Brutal Legend before he went full cuck. I received Broken Age as a gift and Grim Fandango was free on PS+, so those don't count. I'm not going to touch Day of the Tentacle Special Edition with a 10 foot pole because the "remastered" graphics look like they were traced by a first year art student. In China.
>What do the publishers have to lose by letting the community make optimized source ports of their old games on modern machines, especially when you still need the actual game files to play the original games through them?
Because if people want to play the game now, it means that the publisher could potentially sell it to those people again with an official port.
>The most you can ever really hope for is a release on GOG or Virtual Console with no enhancements at all, sometimes looking and playing worse than they did on the original hardware.
They cheap out on the port because the apparent demand doesn't warrant pumping money into the port. Low risk, potentially high upside.
>At least by releasing the source code under public license they can renew interest in the IP, and sell more game licenses through GOG and Steam
This only potentially works if you publicize it ($$$), an it possibly doesn't do anything to move the needle. You could just as easily sit on the property, spend nothing on it, and hope it ends up being a viral nostalgia trip for some reddit.com hivemind or youtube cult, so you know that there are people who want to buy it. With old IPs, they don't ask "how do we drum up interest?", they ask "what are people interested in?"
If they believe no-one is interested in the franchise then they have nothing to lose by letting hackers tinker with the source code.
Most of the times it's just corporate culture making that taboo and them wanting to be able to use it to release remasters and such for themselves.
But it aslo could be that the source code was just straight up lost. You'd be suprised, but stuff like source code and concept art and the hiigher quality assets the stuff on disc is made from goes missing all the time. Hell, a lot of the times, companies even lose track of if they own the rights to an IP or not:
They risk finding out that people they could have made a lot of money by releasing their own port instead of letting someone else do it.
They have no obligation to give you their shit for free. It's nice when they do, but don't go around thinking that they owe you something.
Original logo dont steal
Can you imagine what culture would be like if the works of famous authors, playwrights, musicians, artists, engineers, and creators of all types from history had their stuff copyrighted up through and beyond today? It's definitely better to keep things out of the public domain, ESPECIALLY if the almighty dollar is involved, if it has even the slightest chance of bringing in more sweet, sweet, pools of money.
this is like the Bizarro version of "you wouldn't download a car," where it's just as retarded, but argues the opposite position.
Because it weakens their ability to defend their IP in a court of law if the public is able to do what they will with it.
always kill your wingman
That wasn't a problem for Doom.