Ryzom Goes Free Software

Winch Gate Properties has announced that the source code and artistic assets for its MMO Ryzom has been made free software. Players and fans who fancy their developer skills can now access the source code of the end-user Ryzom client, content creation tools and server in order to make modifications, enhancements or to create their own virtual worlds. The game’s artistic assets, including 3D objects, animation tracks, particle effects and thousands of textures are also available to free software developers, and will be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA). If any of the content turns out to be good, Winch Gate will incorporate it into the official game, after it’s been thoroughly reviewed for quality, stability and security. Free Software Foundation executive director Peter Brown said, “This is a unique opportunity for the free software movement and the emerging free gaming field to accelerate the production of free games and 3D worlds. We recognize the importance of gaming and the current dominance of proprietary gaming software, so today represents a significant breakthrough from which our community can benefit.” Read more about the announcement over at the official site.