Amnesia: The Dark Descent Goes Open Source

Developer Frictional Games has announced that the source code for Amnesia: The Dark Descent is now going open source. The source code for the beloved survival horror game can now be found on Github right here. In addition to the game’s code, Frictional Games has also released the sequel, A Machine for Pigs, as well. The decision was made in honor of the game’s 10th anniversary. Despite the release of the source code, the title will still be offered for sale through various online retailers. Frictional Games will retain all ownership of the game and its assets, and modders must adhere to the GPL3 license. In a press release, Frictional Games creative director Thomas Grip discussed the decision.

“Modding has been a huge part of Amnesia,” Grip said in the press release. “For instance, over the years The Dark Descent has accumulated over a thousand mods and addons on ModDB. This flood of user content has been amazing to see, and we are extremely grateful for the whole community. It is time we give something back!”

The announcement was made just a month before the release of Amnesia: Rebirth, the latest game in the series. According to Frictional Games, the decision to go open source with the game had been planned for some time, and the company’s intent is to give the modding community greater freedom to create within the world of the game. Making the game open source could help up-and-coming developers learn more about the development process, and how to create their own titles.

Since the game’s release, Amnesia: The Dark Descent has come to be considered one of the greatest horror games of all-time, amassing a faithful fanbase. The title originated on PC, but eventually saw release across a number of platforms, including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

It will be interesting to see what the modding community creates with Amnesia, now that the game is available in this manner. A plethora of different mods for the game have been made over the years, and this should open up quite a lot of possibilities. It’s not always viable for publishers to offer their games as open source, so the game’s release on Github is certainly something to be celebrated.

Have you played Amnesia: The Dark Descent? Are you happy to see the game go open source? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!