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Classic Zork Games Now Open Source!
21 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Microsoft has open-sourced the original Zork I, II, and III code.
- The move was a collaboration between Xbox, Activision, and Microsoft's OSPO.
- This makes the code freely available, resolving previous licensing uncertainties.
The foundational text-based adventure game, Zork, and its direct sequels, Zork II and Zork III, have been officially released under the permissive MIT License. This initiative, spearheaded by Microsoft's Xbox and Open Source Programs Office teams, makes the original source code freely available to the public. Ancillary assets such as commercial packaging and trademarks remain protected intellectual property.
The decision to open source these historic games involved a collaboration with digital archivist Jason Scott. Pull requests were submitted to the historical source repositories, formally adding the MIT LICENSE. Microsoft gained ownership of the Zork intellectual property through its 2022 acquisition of Activision, which had previously acquired Infocom, the original publisher.
While the Zork source code had previously appeared on GitHub in 2019, its licensing status was unclear. The current open-source release by Microsoft eliminates any risk of takedown requests and ensures the code's long-term accessibility for enthusiasts and developers alike.
