Cellar Door Games, the indie developer behind the acclaimed 2013 roguelike "Rogue Legacy," has generously released the game's source code to the public. Their motivation? To share knowledge and encourage learning within the game development community.
Cellar Door Games Opens Rogue Legacy's Source Code
Game Assets Remain Proprietary, but Collaboration is Encouraged
In a Twitter (now X) announcement, Cellar Door Games stated that the source code is freely available for download. "Over a decade since Rogue Legacy 1's release, we're releasing the source code to foster knowledge sharing," they declared, directing users to a GitHub repository. The code is licensed for non-commercial use, allowing personal exploration and modification.
The GitHub repository is managed by Ethan Lee, a developer and Linux porter with experience in open-sourcing other indie game code. The move has been met with widespread praise, offering invaluable learning opportunities for aspiring game developers.
This act of open-sourcing also ensures the game's long-term accessibility, safeguarding against potential delisting from online stores and contributing to digital game preservation. The announcement even caught the attention of Andrew Borman, Director of Digital Preservation at the Rochester Museum of Play, who expressed interest in partnering with Cellar Door Games.
While the source code is freely available, game assets (art, music, and icons) remain under proprietary license. Cellar Door Games clarified on GitHub: "This repository aims to facilitate learning, inspire new projects, and enable the creation of tools and modifications. For projects outside the license terms, or those incorporating assets not included here, please contact us."
