Indie Developer Cellar Door Games Releases Rogue Legacy Source Code
Cellar Door Games, in a move to foster knowledge sharing, has made the source code for its acclaimed 2013 roguelike, Rogue Legacy, freely available online. The announcement, shared via Twitter (now X), stated: "Over a decade since Rogue Legacy 1's release, we're releasing the source code publicly to share knowledge." A GitHub repository, managed by developer Ethan Lee, hosts the code under a non-commercial license, allowing for personal use and study.
This generous act has been met with widespread praise, offering aspiring game developers a valuable learning resource. The release also addresses concerns about long-term game preservation, ensuring continued accessibility even if the game is removed from digital storefronts. Andrew Borman, Director of Digital Preservation at the Rochester Museum of Play, even expressed interest in partnering with Cellar Door Games to officially donate the code to the museum.
It's important to note that while the source code is free, game assets like art, graphics, and music remain under proprietary license and are not included. Cellar Door Games clarifies on GitHub: "This repository's purpose is to facilitate learning, inspire new projects, and enable tool and modification creation for Rogue Legacy 1. Contact us for inquiries about distributing work beyond the license terms or using assets not included here." The localized text is included in the release.
