In November, during its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct presentation, Blizzard confirmed the existence of remasters for its earliest Warcraft games and promptly released Warcraft I: Remastered and Warcraft II: Remastered. However, years earlier, Blizzard and the GOG store teamed up to release the original versions of these games on the DRM-free platform.
With its new remasters up for purchase from Battle.net, Blizzard has now gone ahead and decided to pull down the GOG versions.
"Warcraft I and Warcraft II are scheduled to be delisted from GOG on December 13th, at the publisher"s request," said the GOG store today in a statement.
The GOG store versions of the games tout improvements over the original releases, including multiplayer over LAN, updated graphics options, and support for modern operating systems.
It"s certainly bad news for those wanting to purchase the DRM-free classic versions going forward. However, GOG does have some good news for current owners and those who buy a copy before the December 13 delisting day.
As a part of its recently announced Game Preservation program, the GOG store has pledged to keep both of the classic games updated even after their delisting. Essentially, the store will provide tech support for the titles indefinitely and make sure any future updates to Windows won"t affect the game"s playability.
"We"re thankful to every Blizzard employee who contributed to these timeless games and for your ongoing partnership over the years," added the CD Projekt-owned GOG store in its statement. "Game preservation is at the heart of what we do, and we hope to continue collaborating with Blizzard to keep these iconic titles accessible to future generations of gamers."
The company is offering the "MakeWarcraftLiveForever" discount code for those looking to purchase the GOG version of Warcraft I & II Bundle prior to its delisting. This will knock a couple of dollars off the $14.99 listed price.