Original SimCity source code released under GPL

Sunday, January 13th, 2008...5:59 pm

Original SimCity source code released under GPL

The original SimCity source code is now available for download under Open GPL License. They’re releasing the source code so that anyone can port it to any operating system, device or change the code to create their own version of the game.

They came up with this decision to release the source code so it can be installed in the OLPC’s XO Laptop which can run all the open source softwares.

Feather and Loathing reports:

There’s been changes to the original system like a new splash screen, some UI feedback from QA, etc. The plane crash disaster has been removed as a result of 9/11. What is initially released under GPL is the Linux version based on TCL/Tk, adapted for the OLPC (but not yet natively ported to the Sugar user interface and Python), which will also run on any Linux/X11 platform. The OLPC has an officially sanctioned and QA’ed version of SimCity that is actually called SimCity. EA wanted to have the right to approve and QA anything that was shipped with the trademarked name SimCity. But the GPL version will have a different name than SimCity, so people will be allowed to modify and distribute that without having EA QA and approve it. Future versions of SimCity that are included with the OLPC and called SimCity will go through EA for approval, but versions based on the open source Micropolis source code can be distributed anywhere, including the OLPC, under the name Micropolis (or any other name than SimCity).

Download: Original SimCity Source code