GOG Explains How One Of The Most Necessary PC Video games Ever Made Is Trapped In Licensing Hell

Westwood Studios’ Dune 2: The Constructing of a Dynasty isn’t the primary real-time technique recreation ever made, but it surely is among the earliest examples of the style and basically offered the blueprint for what RTS video games could be transferring ahead, inspiring Blizzard and different studios within the course of. But it surely appears most unlikely that this essential little bit of PC gaming historical past will get an official re-release anytime quickly or be a part of GOG’s preservation program. 

In a brand new interview with GamesRadar, Marcin Paczynski, senior enterprise growth and partnerships supervisor at PC gaming retailer GOG, defined simply how sophisticated and messy the rights are to 1992’s Dune 2. And it comes right down to the influential RTS being primarily based on a film primarily based on a e-book, from a studio owned by one other firm; on this case, EA.

“So at present, Digital Arts has the sport code, the property, all the rights to these issues, and all of the supplies across the recreation,” defined Paczynski.

“However in fact, they don’t personal the [Dune] IP. The issue with the IP is that it’s not immediately owned by [Dune writer Frank Herbert’s estate], as a result of the video games weren’t primarily based on the books; they had been truly primarily based on the film from 1984. That film was created by Common Photos, and the primary producer for that film was [Dino De Laurentiis]. The issue is that he additionally has a part of that film license with him. However he died 15 years in the past.”

Meaning De Laurentiis’ property owns a “portion” of Dune 2. After which there’s one other complication. Legendary Photos owns the IP rights for the brand new Dune motion pictures and has a take care of Funcom to create Dune Awakening, a survival recreation set within the Dune universe. And in accordance with Paczynski, there’s some quantity of “exclusivity” included in that deal.

Precisely how or even when that deal would get in the way in which of re-releasing Westwood’s basic Dune video games, together with Dune 2000, is “at present not clear,” says Paczynski. But it surely’s but another difficulty to take care of if anybody had been to attempt to deliver again these essential classics.

For Paczynski, that is possible a irritating state of affairs as he considers Dune 2 as one in all his private “holy grails” for GOG to deliver again and protect.

“It’s on the highest of my checklist, my private one, as a result of it is a recreation that I’ve numerous nostalgia for,” stated Paczynski. “The state of affairs is an effective instance of how dangerous it could get with the licensing state of affairs of a recreation.”

It’s additionally a terrific instance of why fan tasks are usually the higher—and infrequently solely—choice for enjoying basic video games many years after launch. Followers making patches and mods don’t (usually) need to take care of attorneys and authorized hurdles in the identical approach GOG and different firms need to when attempting to deliver again a basic.

Nonetheless, I hope at some point Dune 2 is given a correct, formally supported re-release on fashionable PC storefronts so it may be simply performed by new players. Dune basically ushered in what would grow to be the trendy RTS and, consequently, led to the creation of video games like Warcraft, which then led to MOBAs like League of Legends. It’s an essential piece of gaming historical past that deserves a return.