GOG’s Game Preservation Program Will Support Delisted Games

Key Takeaways

GOG’s game preservation program is being updated to include delisted games.
This means that games that can no longer be purchased will continue to receive updates and support from GOG.
This was prompted by Blizzard delisting two older Warcraft games, which are set to be removed on December 13.

GOG recently revealed its game preservation program, which aims to ensure that older titles remain available and playable on modern systems, long after developers and publishers have ditched them.

Now, the platform has extended this program to any game in the preservation collection that is delisted by publishers. This means that even if a game you’ve bought can no longer be purchased, GOG will still offer tech support, hopefully ensuring that you can keep playing it just fine, even as tech improves and these games get older.

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This was prompted by Blizzard ordering the removal of two of its older titles: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and Warcraft 2. They are both in the GOG Preservation Program and will remain so even after they can no longer be purchased on GOG.

Blizzard Delists Older Warcraft Games, GOG Pledges Continued Support

A screenshot from Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It shows a town set on fire, attacked by orcs.

GOG just announced the delisting in a blog post, before going on to explain what this means for the GOG Preservation Program going forward.

“Once a game joins the Program, we pledge to maintain its compatibility even if it gets delisted from the store,” the post reads. “This means that owners of those titles can still expect a seamless experience and tech support for those titles. This also considers potential changes in Windows OS that may impact games’ playability.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Blizzard on these titles. While the delisting is unfortunate, we assure you that every user who already owns these games on GOG will continue to benefit from our commitment and have access to versions that remain compatible with modern systems, preserving their experience for years to come.”

The Warcraft games will be delisted on December 13, so there’s still time to pick them up if you’re interested. If you buy them in a bundle, then the promo code MakeWarcraftLiveForever will give you a discount.

Blizzard has not commented on the delisting, but it’s very likely that it’s due to the recent release of Warcraft 1 & 2 Remastered. They are part of the Warcraft Remastered Battle Chest, which includes Warcraft 3: Reforged, but can also be purchased separately. It doesn’t seem that they will be made available on GOG, and can currently be purchased on Battle.net instead.