Redditor finds StarCraft source code and gives it back to Blizzard

[Cal Jeffrey]

A Reddit user with the handle Khemist49 recently purchased a lot on eBay that consisted of “a ton” of Blizzard games and memorabilia. When he received the shipment, he sorted through it and found a “gold master disc for StarCraft.” This disk contains the source code for the game StarCraft.

After deliberating with other Reddit users, Khemist49 decided to do the honest thing and return it to Blizzard. That turned out to be a wise decision on his part because the game makers were so happy that they gave him a free copy of Overwatch plus a $250 credit in the Blizzard store. Not a bad haul for something that he had no use for, legally anyway, but it gets better.

The disc was produced in 1998 and at some point was stolen. How do we know this? Because that is what a Blizzard employee told Khemist49 on the telephone right before offering him “an all-expenses-paid trip to BlizzCon.” He will also get dinner and drinks with the staff.

Apparently, they were not done with him though. According to VG24/7, the employee ended the call saying, “Oh, by the way, you should also be receiving something in the mail.”

Sure enough, a couple of days later Khemist49 received a box containing a pile of Blizzard swag including an Overwatch branded keyboard, mouse, and headset, a Diablo III bottle opener, a Diablo III: Hardcover Blank Sketchbook, and other collectables.

To say that Blizzard was happy to get its long lost property back is probably and understatement, but it is nice to see that they made it right by him. He could have probably sold it for a relatively high price considering the amount of interest in the contents of the disk that was generated on Reddit.

Images by Khemist49

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/69191-redditor-finds-star-craft-source-code-gives-back.html

 

[davislane1]

Should have auctioned it.

 

[VitalyT]

Should have auctioned it.

Change of ownership doesn't legalize stolen goods, auctioning it would be illegal.

 

[m4a4]

Good on him. It was the right thing to do, despite all the other tempting possibilities lol

 

[wastedkill]

Hope he made a copy

 

[texasrattler]

So this disc has been missing for a very long time and all Blizzard did was give a $250 credit, a game and some crap stuff they have a bunch off. That disc considering what it is would have fetched a lot more.
The trip is a nice touch lets hope they do that for him for life or at least for a few years as that is what it should have been offered not some free crap that means nothing.
Lets hope Blizzard treats him right and not forget that he didn't have to do the honest thing, after all he paid for Blizzard stuff he had no idea that was in there. He could have sold and not even realize what it was or claimed he didn't know, nothing would have happened to him.

I want to know what is going to happen to the ebay user who had that disc, I'm sure Blizzard lawyers and staff would like to know where it's been for the past 20 years.,

 

[namesrejected]

Should have auctioned it.

Should have copied it, gave the original back to Blizzard, got the goods then auction the copy!

 

[m4a4]

So this disc has been missing for a very long time and all Blizzard did was give a $250 credit, a game and some crap stuff they have a bunch off. That disc considering what it is would have fetched a lot more.
The trip is a nice touch lets hope they do that for him for life or at least for a few years as that is what it should have been offered not some free crap that means nothing.
Lets hope Blizzard treats him right and not forget that he didn't have to do the honest thing, after all he paid for Blizzard stuff he had no idea that was in there. He could have sold and not even realize what it was or claimed he didn't know, nothing would have happened to him.

I want to know what is going to happen to the ebay user who had that disc, I'm sure Blizzard lawyers and staff would like to know where it's been for the past 20 years.,

They owe him nothing (but maybe reimbursement for the means he returned it), and he is entitled to nothing for returning a stolen item.

That said, it's nice to see that they thanked him so generously.

 

[Puiu]

So this disc has been missing for a very long time and all Blizzard did was give a $250 credit, a game and some crap stuff they have a bunch off. That disc considering what it is would have fetched a lot more.
The trip is a nice touch lets hope they do that for him for life or at least for a few years as that is what it should have been offered not some free crap that means nothing.
Lets hope Blizzard treats him right and not forget that he didn't have to do the honest thing, after all he paid for Blizzard stuff he had no idea that was in there. He could have sold and not even realize what it was or claimed he didn't know, nothing would have happened to him.

I want to know what is going to happen to the ebay user who had that disc, I'm sure Blizzard lawyers and staff would like to know where it's been for the past 20 years.,

beyond the free game, online money and free trip, he also got expensive hardware.

 

[stewi0001]

I would have given it back too but I would have made a copy. I think it would be neat to study the source code.

 

[mrjgriffin]

Should have auctioned it.

Should have copied it, gave the original back to Blizzard, got the goods then auction the copy!

oh I'm sure he copied it lol. he'd've been a fool not to.

 

[mrjgriffin]

"That turned out to be a wise decision on his part because the game makers were so happy that they gave him a free copy of Overwatch plus a $250 credit in the Blizzard store."

personally if I were in charge of the decision. I would have given this man all games made by blizzard for free. including all dlcs and with lifetime free subscriptions. I would also ask the man what type of hardware he would like aka building him his own personal pc for free customized to his liking. that's just me though. id've offered at least 1 million to him as well if he didn't want the pc. blizzard has tons of money and if you view it from that perspective they kinda cheaped out lol.

 

[oldikes]

So this disc has been missing for a very long time and all Blizzard did was give a $250 credit, a game and some crap stuff they have a bunch off. That disc considering what it is would have fetched a lot more.
The trip is a nice touch lets hope they do that for him for life or at least for a few years as that is what it should have been offered not some free crap that means nothing.
Lets hope Blizzard treats him right and not forget that he didn't have to do the honest thing, after all he paid for Blizzard stuff he had no idea that was in there. He could have sold and not even realize what it was or claimed he didn't know, nothing would have happened to him.

I want to know what is going to happen to the ebay user who had that disc, I'm sure Blizzard lawyers and staff would like to know where it's been for the past 20 years.,

They probably felt that a chance to actually meet with the people and get a bunch of cool swag was more aptly able to portray how thankful they were than a cold "thank you" and a few hundred bucks.

Its a shame that it seems many people think being honest requires a good level of compensation, its rather disgusting actually.

 

[mrjgriffin]

They probably felt that a chance to actually meet with the people and get a bunch of cool swag was more aptly able to portray how thankful they were than a cold "thank you" and a few hundred bucks.

Its a shame that it seems many people think being honest requires a good level of compensation, its rather disgusting actually.

being honest in certain situations is kind of a bargain. you can either keep the wallet you found with 1000 dollars in it or you could give it back and collect 200 from it as a reward.

 

[Kotters]

The source code would have allowed for some interesting open source clones. Reddit has a habit of preventing the interesting, however. Just look at what they did to that Xbox dev kit...

 

[Sum Guy]

He should have made a copy of the disc before handing it over. Doubt thats source code had any real use since it was from 1998, but I would copied it just because I am data hoarder.

 

[Sebastien A.]

Its a shame that it seems many people think being honest requires a good level of compensation, its rather disgusting actually.

Exactly. Someone said he "didn't have to do the right thing". WTF... what kind of thinking is this. Where is your moral. Of course no one is forced to do the right thing but why not simply do it?

And thinking that because you do something right tells the world to owe you everything is dumb. That's why we can't have nice things. Too many people only thinking about themselves.

 

[wastedkill]

Exactly. Someone said he "didn't have to do the right thing". WTF... what kind of thinking is this. Where is your moral. Of course no one is forced to do the right thing but why not simply do it?

And thinking that because you do something right tells the world to owe you everything is dumb. That's why we can't have nice things. Too many people only thinking about themselves.

That kind of thinking is why we still have wars we are fine with no matter how many die!

 

[amghwk]

Wow...sometimes honesty does pay

 

[amghwk]

They probably felt that a chance to actually meet with the people and get a bunch of cool swag was more aptly able to portray how thankful they were than a cold "thank you" and a few hundred bucks.

Its a shame that it seems many people think being honest requires a good level of compensation, its rather disgusting actually.

being honest in certain situations is kind of a bargain. you can either keep the wallet you found with 1000 dollars in it or you could give it back and collect 200 from it as a reward.

I wonder how you will feel when that wallet with 1000 dollars is yours and somebody else found it and decide to keep it...

 

[Darius Moon]

Very likely that is not a unique copy of the source, and probably was misplaced and thrown out / auctioned out with other old tech.

Seen too many offices emptied with little regard of contents after staff quit.

 

[Magic Rat]

They probably felt that a chance to actually meet with the people and get a bunch of cool swag was more aptly able to portray how thankful they were than a cold "thank you" and a few hundred bucks.

Its a shame that it seems many people think being honest requires a good level of compensation, its rather disgusting actually.

It really doesn't bode well for the gaming community that all these neckbeard trolls think he should have used it for a road to riches. These are the very people who will be whining for mommy when Karma comes calling. Pretty much a perfect example of what is wrong with the world right now.

 

[lumbeeman]

[/QUOTE]It really doesn't bode well for the gaming community that all these neckbeard trolls think he should have used it for a road to riches. These are the very people who will be whining for mommy when Karma comes calling. Pretty much a perfect example of what is wrong with the world right now.[/QUOTE]

This x100

 

[lostinlodos]

Not that blizzard makes anything I consider worthwhile anyway but the free swag is a nice touch. Especially considering that would have gotten a few thousand US dollars