In the wake of Monolith Productions’ closure, CD Projekt’s GOG has moved up its timeline for preserving one of Monolith’s classics. F.E.A.R. Platinum will join the GOG Preservation Program by next month, and may also be the first of more Monolith games to hit the program.
The inflential 2005 first-person shooter is getting moved up on GOG’s timeline for the Preservation Program to “properly recognize Monolith’s contributions to gaming.” The Preservation Program is GOG’s initiative to keep classic games playable on modern systems, maintaining the titles in DRM-free form and with dedicated tech support.
GOG has previously featured everything from Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Complete, to the original Resident Evil trilogy, to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream. It’s an eclectic spotlight of games preserved in playable form, available on GOG’s storefront, and F.E.A.R. Platinum — which includes the base F.E.A.R. and both expansions — will soon join the lineup.
It may not be the last Monolith game there, either. GOG said that other Monolith icons will “join eventually as well.” The storefront also teased more news to come about the Preservation Program tomorrow, February 27.
The preservation effort is a nice recognition of Monolith Productions’ legacy in the wake of its sudden closure. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier broke the news yesterday that Warner Bros. had canceled its planned Wonder Woman game and shuttered three studios: Monolith, Player First Games, and WB San Diego.
Warner Bros.’ games division has been in a difficult spot for some time. While Hogwarts Legacy chalked up a commercial win for the publisher, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League spurred a double-digit decline in revenue, and the financial failure of Smash-alike MultiVersus piled on the misery.
Furthermore, David Haddad is set to leave the company after 12 years of helming Warner Bros. Games, and the division is rumored to be considered for-sale.
Monolith had a legacy dating back decades, with games like Blood, Condemned: Criminal Origins, No One Lives Forever, and The Matrix Online on its resume. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor became an instant hit, spurred on by its inventive “Nemesis System,” which Warner Bros. held in a vice-grip with its patent.
Though Monolith may be closed, it’s nice to see other companies acknowledge the effect one studio has had on the medium. Hopefully we see more of Monolith’s classics preserved for years to come.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
