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[dmr87]

Pretty crazy.

And he's rewarded big time.

Last month, Reddit user Khemist49 made a truly unlikely find: a gold master source code disc of the original StarCraft. From 1998. At first, he didn't know what to do with it. Ultimately, he sent it to Blizzard, who was very grateful to have it back.

Khemist49 first came across the disc in a ”box of Blizzard stuff" he purchased on eBay. He was shocked at what he saw—a CD-R that read ”StarCraft Gold Master Source Code." When he first posted about it on Reddit, some people asked him to rip its contents and make them freely available, while others derided him as ”scummy" for holding onto the disc. He wrote that the decision over what to do with it was driving him ”crazy."

After days of deliberation, Khemist49 said he heard from Blizzard directly. He said the publisher's legal team had asked him to return the disc because it contained ”intellectual property and trade secrets." He sought legal advice about what to do, but ultimately decided to err on the side of caution and send it to Blizzard. For his troubles, he received a copy of Overwatch and $250 in Blizzard store credit. Cool. He figured that was the end of it...

More at the link.

Spoiler

Gets an all-expenses trip to Blizzcon and some other cool shit after the fact

http://kotaku.com/guy-finds-starcraft-source-code-and-returns-it-to-blizz-1794897125

 

[Tagyhag]

Lol he got lucky he wasn't one of those "No! I bought it with my own money! It's the principle of the matter!" people.

Dude probably got more than he paid for that entire box. That trip alone is thousands.

 

[Khezu]

Good on him.

I probably would have just thrown it away because it wasn't Warcraft 3.

 

[James Scott]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.

Spoiler

jk

Edit: Probably should've read more, oops. That was nice of them
That being said, I do wonder the legality of putting it online. That sounds illegal, right?

 

[DrkSage]

I also heard he spent the entire $250 on overwatch loot boxes and still didn't get that mercy skin

Spoiler

ba dum tss jk

 

[jediyoshi]

They probably could've given the guy more.

(They did)

More at the link.

http://kotaku.com/guy-finds-starcraft-source-code-and-returns-it-to-blizz-1794897125

 

[Allforce]

All of that garbage swag VS a legendary piece of gaming history...

 

[JordanN]

After days of deliberation, Khemist49 said he heard from Blizzard directly. He said the publisher's legal team had asked him to return the disc because it contained ”intellectual property and trade secrets."

They were worried people would find World of Starcraft.

 

[-MD-]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.

Spoiler

jk

It's in the article.

 

[Frostinferno]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.
That being said, I do wonder the legality of putting it online. That sounds illegal, right?

They did

Khemist49 said that he received a phone call from a Blizzard employee. ”He asked me if I have ever heard of BlizzCon," wrote Khemist49. ”I said well, yeah of course but it's impossible for me to go. I live in the east coast, and the badges are always sold out before you can refresh the page. He said well, the reason we are calling you is to invite you to BlizzCon, all expenses paid, and we would love to take you out for drinks."

Blizzard also mailed him a giant box full of Overwatch and Diablo PC peripherals and paraphernalia.

 

[Sitris]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.

Spoiler

jk

That being said, I do wonder the legality of putting it online. That sounds illegal, right?

They got ALOT more! Actually super jealous, what a good lesson on doing the right thing.

Props to both blizzard and the person who found it.

 

[Drillary Clinton]

This was dope of Blizz but man... Woulda been nice to have a legendary piece of media history. Looks like legally it was the best thing to do anyway.

 

[thoseAREmySHOES]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.

Spoiler

jk

That being said, I do wonder the legality of putting it online. That sounds illegal, right?

Read the article, he got TONS more

 

[Raylan Targaryen]

All of that garbage swag VS a legendary piece of gaming history...

I'd rather go to Blizzcon then have some CD laying around collecting dust

 

[Mentok]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on.

Spoiler

jk

That being said, I do wonder the legality of putting it online. That sounds illegal, right?

They did....it's in the article.

Good on Blizzard for going well above and beyond.

 

[PuppetMaster]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

 

[JordanN]

This was dope of Blizz but man... Woulda been nice to have a legendary piece of media history. Looks like legally it was the best thing to do anyway.

What if he kept the original and sent Blizzard a copy?

 

[mieumieu]

And then you read the comments where fierce debate happens because some people care more about 'preservation'.

 

[Tinfoilhatsron]

Do y'all even read the fucking articles? Come on.

 

[LumpOfCole]

With Starcraft Remastered coming out, and the way it is multiplayer compatible with the original, this 1998 source code actually might've been disruptive if it were released. It's crazy to think about but he legitimately saved Blizzard a big headache by just giving it back.

 

[benicillin]

You're telling me he doesn't have an ISO sitting on a backup drive somewhere now? C'mon, who wouldn't make a copy.

 

[BigTnaples]

Nice. Pretty cool story.

 

[Matthew23]

I wonder how many copies he made before sending it back?

 

[Raylan Targaryen]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

People really hate clicking links huh

 

[robotrock]

You're telling me he doesn't have an ISO sitting on a backup drive somewhere now? C'mon, who wouldn't make a copy.

Lol, who even has disc drives anymore

 

[Tinfoilhatsron]

What if he kept the original and sent Blizzard a copy?

Wouldn't they know?

 

[Flying Toaster]

Cool on him for sending it back. Cool on Blizzard for the trip and drinks.

 

[Loxley]

All that plus an all-expenses-paid trip to BlizzCon and drinks with the devs? Not a bad trade at all.

 

[Cels]

They probably could've given the guy more. 250 for a digital store that they own? Come on

All expenses paid trip from the east coast to anaheim, blizzcon ticket, and a bunch of peripherals on top of that 250 credit. What the heck would they have to do that you would call them generous? Buy him a house?

 

[eBay Huckster]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

boy, you really gain an appreciation for people who actually click the damn links on this site

 

[LelouchZero]

This is awesome, Blizzard are awesome! That's some really cool stuff they sent him!

Always do the right thing!

 

[Allforce]

I'd rather go to Blizzcon then have some CD laying around collecting dust

I mean, a trip to a gaming con VS an an original copy of the source code for one of the most influential games ever created on the planet? I'm not saying he has to be a dick and release it to the dogs of the internet but there are genuine gaming collectors out there who would have paid for his kid's college to obtain this without ever getting reddit involved.

Blizzard basically wiping sweat from their brow that they got off this easy. Dude got a Diablo mousepad and some Overwatch branded gaming keyboards....

 

[WaterAstro]

Rewarded big time is a huge overstatement.

I thought he was going to get a million for it, or maybe hundred thousand.

 

[pretty done]

he received a copy of Overwatch and $250 in Blizzard store credit

lol what a lowball from Bliz. I'd have asked for real money, and more of it. It's Blizzard ffs.

 

[Yukinari]

Im glad he didnt pull a Mark Skrehli and just tease people by saying he would destroy/leak it everyday of his life.

Granted it would have been nice to have the source code dumped but this is the best case scenario.

 

[atbigelow]

I would have absolutely given this disc back. But I would also probably have checked out some of the source to see what it was like. Always interesting to see how other people solve the same problems.

Glad he got hooked up!

 

[KarmaCow]

I guess it makes sense since a guy who buys Starcraft stuff off ebay probably already has most of it but it's funny that none of the rewards were Starcraft related.

 

[Chezzymann]

guys click the link in the OP he got a bunch of other stuff and an all expenses paid trip to blizzcon to have drinks with the blizzard team

 

[FriskyrumX]

Do people not know how to read the article? Jesus.

He got a free copy of Overwatch, 250$ of store credit, all expenses paid trip to Anaheim for Blizzcon to also hang out with the devs, a bunch of free PC Peripherals, and a whole bunch of Overwatch / Diablo swag.

Also, he wasn't entitled to receive anything in return for returning it. People looking at this as bad really are greedy I suppose.

 

[DrFunk]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

this is a bad post

anyway, good on him. if he didn't return it, blizzard would've sued him anyway

 

[Atom Heart Mother]

lol what a lowball from Bliz. I'd have asked for real money, and more of it. It's Blizzard ffs.

people really need to read beyond the first few sentences

 

[Sitris]

lol what a lowball from Bliz. I'd have asked for real money, and more of it. It's Blizzard ffs.

I'm actually surprised by the number of people who don't read the actual articles....really shows how people spread misinformation so easily, even with relatively small things like this.

 

[AlexFlame116]

Some of you guys really need to click on the link and read the darn article before you post.

Some of you also need a dose of reality instead of complaining about how much this guy got in return. I mean what did some of you expect? A house and a real life sized statue of Kerrigan in return?

 

[data]

I hope he atleast made a copy of it before he gave it to them

 

[Easy_D]

All of that garbage swag VS a legendary piece of gaming history...

Pff, he got a sick keyboard, store credit and an all expenses paid trip to Blizzcon. That's something. Plus he did the right thing.

 

[Apathy]

$250 is "rewarded big time" ???

LOL dude had something people would have paid tens of thousands for. He got taken. But I guess nice guys finish last.

You only read the blurb didn't you, you didn't even bother clicking the link

 

[pretty done]

guys click the link in the OP he got a bunch of other stuff and an all expenses paid trip to blizzcon to have drinks with the blizzard team

Yea I dunno, I'd have negotiated a real money deal with them. Personally wouldn't be content with PC accessories, Diablo 3, stuffed animals and a trip to Blizzcon (or any con)

Cool story but I just don't like seeing people get hustled by billion dollar companies.

people really need to read beyond the first few sentences

That line is actually past the first few sentences.

 

[Vimes]

And then you read the comments where fierce debate happens because some people care more about 'preservation'.

Corporate defense force got here quick.

I do appreciate that Blizzard did right by this guy for doing their bidding (especially given they could have just threatened him legally instead). But I find the reflexive idea that he "did the right thing" by turning it over super weird. Code is history and a lot of people could learn from that stuff.

 

[Apathy]

Yea I dunno, I'd have negotiated a real money deal with them. Personally wouldn't be content with PC accessories, Diablo 3, stuffed animals and a trip to Blizzcon (or any con)

Cool story but I just don't like seeing people get hustled by billion dollar companies.

If he starts trying to blackmail them for more money, you know the lawyers can get involved and won't end well for the dude right?

 

[Permanently A]

People in that reddit thread are salty as fuck.

FUCK YOU ALL
THIS IS NOT ABOUT SELLING THE FUCKING DISK
STARCRAFT IS ONE OF THE GREATEST GAMES OF ALL TIME
HE SHOULD JUST HAVE UPLOADED THE CODE TO THE WEB
AMAZING SHIT WOULD HAVE COME OUT OF THIS
HE COULD HAVE MADE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAPPY

Do you seriously not realize all the amazing possibilities you've just thrown away?
You've seen all the Doom source ports, right? And the amazing doom modding community, right? Uploading the contents of that disc would have created that for Starcraft.
I swear to god, I hope you backed up that disc and are going to leak it to some place some day in the future, because my god, anything else would mean you made the most phenomenally terrible decision ever.

You decided to pull a selfish dick move and send off this incredibly rare source code that could've been put to use by tons of modders and devs for your own personal gain. A bunch of shitty gamerware branded by Blizzard and $250.

We could have make Starcraft great again whit the best mods if you have share the content of the disc but no, you had to return it and get shitty stuff in return, congratz mate you are the biggest cuck of 2017.

you are selfish for keeping this out of the hands of programmers- who can bring joy to hundreds of thousands of people - and instead put it in the hands of a crummy company that relies on rehashing other ideas, never to use that code again.
Shame on you.