Microsoft Open Sources Zork Trilogy Preserving Generation Of Classic Games

The proliferation of digital game libraries and cloud streaming services has raised concerns about game preservation. Some publishers, such as EA, have stepped up in a big way by open sourcing older titles in their back catalogs. Now, Microsoft is adding its own contribution by open sourcing the classic Zork trilogy.

Microsoft will be releasing the source code for Zork I, Zork II and Zork III under the MIT License. Included as part of this release will be any available documentation, such as build notes, comments and files that are historically relevant. However, marketing materials, packaging, trademarks and branding aren’t part of this preservation effort, and will remain with their respective rights holders.

The company says that the singular goal of this release is to “place historically important code in the hands of students, teachers, and developers so they can study it, learn from it, and, perhaps most importantly ...