Microsoft makesZork I,II, andIIIopen source under MIT License

The legendary text-based adventure series, Zork, has officially transitioned to open-source status under the MIT License. This exciting development includes not only the original Zork I but also its sequels, Zork II and Zork III. The collaborative effort behind this release involved teams from Xbox and Activision, as well as the Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) at Microsoft. Microsoft holds the intellectual property rights to the Zork franchise, having acquired it through its purchase of Activision in 2022. Although the source code is now available for public use, related commercial elements—such as packaging, marketing materials, and trademarks—remain under Microsoft’s ownership. In a joint statement, Stacy Hafner, director of OSPO at Microsoft, and Scott Hanselman, VP of Developer Community, emphasized their commitment to preserving digital history. They noted, "Rather than creating new repositories, we’re contributing directly to history." They collaborated with Jason Scott, a notable digital archivist, to submit upstream pull requests to the historical source repositories for the Zork games, clearly indicating their MIT LICENSE and ensuring formal documentation of the open-source grant. Interestingly, the journey of Zork to Microsoft has deep roots. Efforts to sell the publishing rights directly to Microsoft in the 1980s fell through, despite founder Bill Gates being an avid fan of the game. It’s a twist of fate that the franchise ultimately found its way back to Microsoft. Previously, the original Zork source code was made available on GitHub in 2019 by Jason Scott, but licensing issues posed potential risks of a takedown by Activision or Microsoft. However, with the new open-source release, that concern has been resolved, allowing fans and developers to explore the game's history without fear of repercussions.