Monolith, the legendary studio behind all-timers such asBlood,Shadow Of Mordor,Condemned, and Alien Versus Predator 2was recently shut down by the overlords at Warner Brothers. Many people lost jobs, but GOG is trying to at least save the studio’s games as part of its preservation initiative.
But the story doesn’t have to end here – some treasures from Monolith Productions are yet to be preserved and made to live forever. It’s always a challenge, with some titles more than others, but this is where you may help us. Pay tribute to the creative minds of Monolith and…
The CD Projekt Red-owned platform has already announced it’ll addF.E.A.R.and its two expansions to its game preservation program, and, as of right now, you’re able to get the GOTY winner for just one dollar. GOG has also disclosed the plans to save as much of Monolith’s catalog as possible, which is awesome, but one title threatens to remain impossible to get.
I’m talking aboutThe Operative: No One Lives Forever, an FPS that rocked the world of shooters in 2000 with its fantastic gameplay and story, but that has since become unavailable for purchase.
Think of a mix betweenPerfect Darkand a ’60s007James Bondthrowback — so, like a serious and equally awesome version ofAustin Powers. If you’re lucky enough to have played it upon release, you might think this is Monolith’s crowning achievement. Still, you’d have a hard time making others believe so because, first off, nobody knows what you’re talking about, and second, no way that a studio or publisher would allow for a highly profitable game to no longer be put on sale for reasons no one understands, right? Wrong.
Because it turns out that the reason why you were never able to purchaseNo One Lives Foreverdigitally is that seemingly nobody knows who owns the rights to it, and untangling the thread would simply prove too much of a hassle.
For the longest time, fans and even Nightdive Studios, known for itshigh-quality remakesof beloved classics,have been trying to rescueNOLFfrom the endless copyright limbo it has resided in for the past many years, but to no avail so far.
Here’s hoping GOG finds out how to finally bring back this classic that so many would certainly love to experience for the first time.
