Microsoft makes Zork I, II, and III open source under MIT License

Microsoft has officially released the legendary text adventure game Zork and its two sequels under an open-source MIT License, ending decades of uncertain legal status for one of gaming's most influential titles. The move comes through collaboration between Xbox, Activision teams, and Microsoft's Open Source Programs Office, with the company working alongside renowned digital archivist Jason Scott to submit the code directly to historical repositories on GitHub. While the source code is now freely available, Microsoft retains control over trademarks and commercial assets. The tech giant acquired the Zork intellectual property through its 2022 Activision purchase, after Activision had obtained it by buying original publisher Infocom in the late 1980s. Interestingly, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a devoted Zork fan, had actually attempted to purchase the publishing rights back in the 1980s, but the deal fell through. Though Scott had uploaded the code to GitHub in 2019, the licensing remained murky until now, leaving it vulnerable to potential takedown requests.