An interview with the guy and GOG. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/02/13/many-questions-system-shock-2-comes-to-gog/

Edit: Ninja'd!

If it offended you, I gladly take it back. What I'm sick of are fanboys on this forum who live outside the reality of classic era gaming, and who sprout this "ILLEGAL!!" mantra most likely because they are not classic gamers, but modern gamers, and thus do not understand (nor care for) the dilemmas of being a gamer playing games that are no longer sold, distributed, published or even exist but for abandonware.

For example, take "Fate - Gates of Dawn", an cRPG for the Amiga released by German developers in 1991, a huge roleplaying game with massive depth, only a few English versions of the game were ever sold, it is impossible to get second-hand copy of even a German (let alone English) version of the game.

That would be epic. :D

Here is the post that is most cited for the complicated SS rights. Looking Glass retained the copyright while EA retained the trademark. When Looking Glass dissolved, it passed to Meadowbrook Insurance. The EA trademark later expired.

So, in all likelihood, Night Drive acquired the copyright from Meadowbrook and is now using it to sell SS2 on GOG. Why this doesn't also include SS1, I have no idea.

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/713030/the-lost-history-of-system-shock/

OK nevermind a quick glance at the wiki and now i know EXACTLY what you are talking about:

System Shock 2 has been the top requested game at GOG.com, a digital storefront that sells popular older titles, but the rights to the title have been complicated between Electronic Arts and Meadowbrook Insurance Group, the entity that acquired the assets of Looking Glass Studios on their closure. Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios, seeking to bring the game to modern systems, started negotiations with the rights holders in October 2012, and was able to secure the rights to update and release the game for modern systems. Kick worked with GOG.com for a timed-exclusive release on the site in mid-February 2013, with plans later for release on Steam. This version, considered by GOG.com to be a "collector's edition", includes updates to the original game to make it work on modern systems while still allowing user-made modifications to be applied, and will contain additional material such as the game's soundtrack, maps of the Von Braun, and the original pitch document for the game.

well we are Mid Feb ALL evidence would suggest you are about to see System Shock 2 on GOG tomorrow and if that is the case i for one will be ecstatic.

Please do not wave your catalog in my face like you are more the veteran gamer though Cros i expect those kinda tactics from other members in here not someone i am having constructive convo with. I played on the old B Drive disks i am not talking 4" im talkin about the REAL floppy ones so i dont need preached to we are both well fossilised.

BUT getting back to things sounds like perhaps parts of the IP are held by EA and the insurance group respectively or this can happen when both companies claim they are the owners ... REGARDLESS there is no enough SOLID info here to start anything more than speculation and NEITHER of us would have facts.

BUT what is absolutely being missed here is THIS Stephen Kick of Night Dive Studios, seeking to bring the game to modern systems, started negotiations with the rights holders in October 2012, and was able to secure the rights to update and release the game for modern systems.

They are not releasing the SAME product, work and development has been authorised on the ORIGINAL code what is being sold is a NEW product and could well incur new contracts, licenses ... .if it is going to goto steam it will be a new publisher too ... this news is huge and i am somewhat baffled as to how if this was the source of your argument how you could ever sit here and argue to the contrary?
Yea Kod im with you 100% ... please understand i saw the countdown, saw this thread and just saw Coga being hammered by people who shouldn't be. But now that we are all talking and i am being made aware of some of the underlying questions

I AM SUPER EXCITED there absolutely NO reason whatsoever to believe that SS2 is not about to show up on GOG tomorrow. If Kick has aquired the right to rework the game for modern systems and made actual changes and modifications to original code then he also aquired the right to distribute.

I am surprised no one has made the corelation that this studio could well be who GOG outsource to to make MANY of GOGs titles work or could well infact be OWNED by GoG ... look how many gog titles have had things done to them to make them make use of modern hardware etc. Dungeon Keeper for example. This is fantastic news you all have me very excited now.

Again, downloading a digital copy through abandonware is illegal, by all definitions. Whether it's immoral is another discussion. I'll go with the advice our resident german law person was giving, and tell you to go ahead and grab it, but it does remain illegal to do so.

I am more excited for the next release of the Brutal Doom mod tomorrow myself...

I download loads of abandonware. Why can't someone enjoy both classic and modern games? What if someone doesn't morally feel right downloading an older game even if the chances are good they won't be taken to court? Are they automatically a modern gamer?

You asked for evidence that it's illegal and people gave it to you. Trying to say SS1 Portable isn't illegal when it is. Stuff like that. It's a touchy subject and people don't want to screw GOG's chances. It simply doesn't look good.

Not one single bit did you offend me bud. It is very clear this has been a heated argument and although a select few have their ducks in a row some don't and i do not blame any of you for going on an immediate defensive when some daft old jedi comes in speaking his mind.

Not offended at all mate. As this discussion has gone on you have brought items to light i absolutely did not know about and i am very much now looking forward to that clock hitting zero :)
It isn't about that ... IF you were caught and owners decided to prosecute you would be done lock stock and smoking court case. They just don't care enough to bother, the game has had it's day they are sat in their luxury condo enjoying the profits, that you decide to get their game through whatever means is just a compliment to their work after decades.

It simply isn't worth it but that does not make it legal there are VERY RARE cases where the original owner has said "do what you want" effectively but don't assume all abandonware is supplied under this assumption.

Fair enough, I won't argument the legality of it then. And I wasn't saying anything about modern games in general, I just pointing out that any gamer that is into classic games is bound to have had to resort to abandonware at some stage, it's a fact of life, and attacking people for even mentioning it like it's the plague is odd. It sounds detached.

with respect that is not source, that is the latest RPS making an article. When i say source i mean the confirmation of aquisition from atleast one of the parties involved. BUT!!!

"As I understand it – and I may well be wrong – Looking Glass retained the rights while EA held the trademark. When Looking Glass ceased to be, the rights passed to Meadowbrook Insurance Group and without both, the series cannot be revived. What negotiations, with any parties involved, have taken place in order to secure digital distribution rights?"

This if it is quoted for truth is where that source helps out and lends more weight to the topic we are now discussing.

This is what i meant when i say messy messy business and i was right on the money when i stated these things happen when both companies have a stake in the product (check my comments before you linked this) basically got one company who has distribution rights but the other owns the trademark to actually develop a sequel ..... messy messy messy.

Super interesting, and very exciting though!

I consider the guy who got the license for digital distribution saying so in an interview to be a confirmation of acquisition from at least one of the parties involved :p

A fantastic example of what is being talked about with regard to abandonware is "Constructor"

Utterly FANTASTIC title, bought on release with the ridiculous giant cardboard box included.

10 years later its non existent. No longer in print, only way to get it is to pirate it and download via so-called abandonware sites.

Years later it sees a release on GoG. Now it can be aquired legally, with emulation software already configured all you do is download, install and play FANTASTIC! this is what GoG is all about.

The classic gamer who sought to aquire Constructor BEFORE GoG had it is wanting to experience management games before things went sims societies ..... and i COMMEND them for doing so but that does not mean it is legal it just means as a classic gamer i think it is fantastic such an old classic still garners interest.

GoG didn't magic up the distribution rights out of thin air, someone had it an GoG sought the holder.

NOW 15 or so laters the game can be bought and owned and enjoyed legally.

My point is 5 years ago if u said "I wanna try constructor" i would be using my own judgement when i sent you to a slight-shady site to get it. BUT NOW if you said i wanna try constructor i would send you to GOG and have you buy it!. Immoral =/= illegal and MORAL =/= legal.

I cannot think of a better example to give of what some people are putting across here than this title. GoG brought this back from the abyss but 5 years ago you would consider it abandonware. I think the mistake some are making is that they think abandonware means "free game" which is absolutely not the case.
yea, understand my initial comment was me saying i dont consider it source BUT i then go on to talk about what i believed you were pointing me to! - my argument would be that is just written words on a RPS article there is no proof that quote was actually said unless you find the SOURCE document. BUT it makes so much sense that as i stated after i said about it not being source that i am in 100% agreeance and very excited :D

NVM, way over ninja'd