They’re still on Steam, though
GOG.com (néeGood Old Games) has removed theDescentgames from sale after developer Parallax Software terminated its contract with publisher Interplay over unpaid royalties. According to apost on GOG’s forumsfrom developersMatt Toschlog and Mike Kulas, Interplay has not paid any royalties to Parallax since 2007.
“We’ve talked to [Interplay] about this numerous times over the years, and finally took action this fall. We served Interplay official notice that they were in breach of the contract, and when they still failed to pay, we terminated the agreement. This means that Interplay has lost the right to sell theDescentgames, which is why they came down from GOG. (We’re not sure why they’re still on Steam; they shouldn’t be.)” Toschlog and Kulas said.
The duo are correct. As of publishing, bothDescentandDescent IIare available for purchase on Steam (and they’re even on sale). Interplay still owns the rights to theDescenttrademark, which explains the existence of recent Kickstarter successDescent: Underground.
Parallax Software’s original agreement with Interplay was originally forged 21 years ago, and gave Interplay exclusive rights to sell theDescentgames. With the dissolution of the contract,DescentandDescent IIare in limbo, unable to be sold by any party. Toschlog and Kulas hope to work something out with Interplay, eventually putting the games back on sale.
GOG Takes Down Descent From Store Because Interplay Did Not Honor 21-Year-Old Agreement With Parallax[reddit]
