Diablo?

[SwiftDrifter]

Is there any particular reason why Steam doesn't have any of the diablo series available?

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Because Activision-Blizzard doesn't want to sell it here.

Game devs/pubs decide if they want to sell on Steam or not.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Because Activision-Blizzard doesn't want to sell it here.

:qr:

Yep, this.

Blizzard has no reason to add their games to Steam as they have their own, popular, launcher and store.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by LowJack_VA1:

Blizzard ENT. released the following games on GOG in the last years, if you don't already know:

1996 Diablo + Hellfire DLC
1994 Warcraft
1999 Warcraft 2
And a Warcraft bundle

And they're DRM Free.

Yep, one of the few, recent times, they have kept to their name of Good Old Games.

Wish they would choose to sell it here too, but still up to them to do so.

[WhiteKnight]

Originally posted by LowJack_VA1:

I really hate that GOG has said multiple times they hate the Good Old Games old name, I really like it lol. I think it really is what they sell. I've bought some games from GOG that just seemed to completely disappear. I don't think GOG can be a real competitor to Steam, but its nice for me to have options.

Same.

[SwiftDrifter]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Because Activision-Blizzard doesn't want to sell it here.

Game devs/pubs decide if they want to sell on Steam or not.

:qr:

Thank you for answering that. Honestly it was frustrating because every game i had searched for i was able to find except Diablo.. so thanks.

[adz]

OP, Thats the only down fall for steam it doesn't offer games that we really want. some devs put all there games, some put a few, and some none.

i have wanted sof 1-2 for years on steam, gone to big length to ask but i have been ignored. ( not a fan of gog but i did buy there )

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by adz:

OP, Thats the only down fall for steam it doesn't offer games that we really want. some devs put all there games, some put a few, and some none.

i have wanted sof 1-2 for years on steam, gone to big length to ask but i have been ignored. ( not a fan of gog but i did buy there )

That is because it is up to the game's developer, not Steam/Valve.

GOG still doesn't have some of the games I have been waiting for and likely never will. The entire Mechwarrior and Battletech series is unlikely to ever be released there.

So it would be the downfall of any such store.

[Snapjak]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

Originally posted by adz:

OP, Thats the only down fall for steam it doesn't offer games that we really want. some devs put all there games, some put a few, and some none.

i have wanted sof 1-2 for years on steam, gone to big length to ask but i have been ignored. ( not a fan of gog but i did buy there )

That is because it is up to the game's developer, not Steam/Valve.

GOG still doesn't have some of the games I have been waiting for and likely never will. The entire Mechwarrior and Battletech series is unlikely to ever be released there.

So it would be the downfall of any such store.

I'm so glad I still have all my MW2/3 disks... such good games.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by Snapjak:

I'm so glad I still have all my MW2/3 disks... such good games.

I used to have my MW3 ones, but couldn't get them to work on modern system, so got rid of them... kind of hard to kill an enemy tank when they shoot 100 miles into the air and never come back down.

[Snapjak]

The one that really killed me for a few years was on the very first mission, one of the gun emplacements just wasn't there so no way to progress the mission. Somehow that fixed itself when I tried it last.

[Leonardo Da Pinchi]

For a while, the first Diablo was free as it was considered an abandoned software but they re-upped the license. The first 2 Fallouts were free too.

[Gallifrey - CSSC Gaming Founder]

GOG in its early days had a great niche in selling "Pre Steam" games. It filled a nostalgia demand for adult gamers to play games from their youth. As the years have passed that niche has washed away like a Pacific Island in global warming. Mainly because 17 years (or thereabouts on) a sizeable chunk of Steam's player base weren't even born when it started and whilst there is a significant band of "grey" gamers a lot of Steam's current users don't remember a time pre-Steam. As the capacity of programmers and hardware has increased over time the demand for the older, more primitive, games also subsides. Add to that companies like Relic who bring back the older titles to Steam there's virtually no territory left for GOG that isn't already occupied by Steam.

Its interface is also lousy. It cuts off the buttons used to contact GOG and their support page no longer exists. They were also sloppy. The "Galaxy" version of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri doesn't allow you to launch Alien Crossfire and you have to scan the files to access it instead.

Most of the time spending about £5.00 on a game in the sale I'm more likely to go for a game from 2015 on Steam than a game from 1995 on GOG.

I'm not sure about Blizzard/ Activision's choices. I think they're losing a lot of sales by not being here on Steam. It's noticeable how many EA titles are in the Top 100 most played now although they are predominantly not the newest titles.

The other issue is that Activision have maintained very high prices on CoD even a half decade after release so you can't pick up a copy for less than £20 even on sale. At that price they're up against all but the newest FPSs on Steam.

Having played through Titan Quest to the "end" Boss Battle and "finished" the vanilla version of "Grim Dawn" I really fancy playing Diablo 3. It's accessibility - I'm not wandering off to Activision on the off chance that something may be on sale that I'd like when I've no other reason to be there.

S.x.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by The Sandvich Fairy:

For a while, the first Diablo was free as it was considered an abandoned software but they re-upped the license. The first 2 Fallouts were free too.

No, it was never abandoned ware and Blizzard always upheald the licence.

Abandoned ware is not recognized either, from a legal standpoint.

[Gallifrey - CSSC Gaming Founder]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

Originally posted by The Sandvich Fairy:

For a while, the first Diablo was free as it was considered an abandoned software but they re-upped the license. The first 2 Fallouts were free too.

No, it was never abandoned ware and Blizzard always upheald the licence.

Abandoned ware is not recognized either, from a legal standpoint.

Not 100% right. I think copyright holders get a limited, long but limited, time to defend their copyright. It can lapse, I think, if not defended.

S.x.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by Gallifrey - CSSC Gaming Founder:

Not 100% right. I think copyright holders get a limited, long but limited, time to defend their copyright. It can lapse, I think, if not defended.

S.x.

Out of copyright is different then abandonware. The first something that can expire, the second is what some consider it when it is still with in copyright, but they don't think the developer will go after them for it. Blizzard has always upheld their copyright for their games, even older ones.

https://www.carltonfields.com/insights/publications/2019/video-games-copyright-public-domain-fair-use

If it was created on or after 1978 by an individual, then the copyright is valid for the lifetime of the individual plus 70 years, otherwise for a period of 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever comes first.

And with as long as it is, it is very unlikely that most will expire.

Abandonware is just something people made up to justify what they do/did.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/what-is-abandonware-and-is-it-legal/

So, is abandonware legal for download? The simple answer is no, abandonware is not legal. Even if the creator abandons a copyrighted work, it does not become public property automatically. The copyright on the work exists until the copyright expires, the duration of which varies from country to country.