Abandonware is a name often given to a piece of software that is no longer sold or supported by its publisher. Many of the classic computer games of the past 15 to 20 years fall in this category, and it is these titles that make up the bulk of the software distributed on abandonware sites. Here’s a brief excerpt from the article:. Most seasoned computer gamers will likely grin ear to ear when asked to recall their most memorable moments in pc gaming history, be it taking over the world in civilization, going back in time in day of the tentacle, or rescuing the princess in prince of persia. But you can’t find these “classic” computer games from the late ’80s and early ’90s, on store shelves ? not even in those value-priced compilation packages. You won’t find this classic in stores. So, are you out of luck if you want to take ultima iv for another spin? and how exactly do you plan on loading leisure suit larry in the land of the lounge lizards from that floppy disk you snagged at a garage sale? even though they were “abandoned” by their respective publishers years ago, thousands of computer games from yesteryear are still alive today ? in cyberspace and for free. If you know where to look, that is. Welcome to the controversial topic known as “abandonware. To archivists and distributors of abandonware, what they do is a service, performing for free the preservation of gaming history without which many of these works might be lost for ever due to the neglect of publishers.

Abandonware is classified as abandonware if it is believed that the companies (often defunct) who originally made the old software would not mind very much if people downloaded it illegally, because they can no longer sell it. Home of the underdogs had more than 5,000 titles indexed on the website. Most of the games were made between 1982 and 1998. There were also newer, indie titles that were featured. But the site didn’t only host game files. For each title, underdogs founder sarinee achavanuntakul wrote a insightful, brief review. The best games were classified as the “top dogs. ” the website undoubtedly proved as an invaluable resource for many pc gamers — especially those who are interested in game design, or who were looking for old favorites they could no longer track down anywhere else.

Abandonware is illegal, but most abandonware sites work on the “distribute until someone complains” method.