In fact, many classic game makers have long vilified emulation in general as a potential piracy threat rather than as a potentially lucrative revenue stream. In the past, fans that have tried to distribute mods for emulated console games were more likely to get cease and desist letters (or at best benign neglect) from rights-holders rather than any official support. More than these cosmetic changes, though, 'every single Mega Drive game will now feature Steam Workshop support, allowing you to share your modified versions of your favorite retro Sega titles,' as an official announcement video puts it.įurther Reading How the demonization of emulation devalues gaming’s heritageAs far as we know, this is the first time any retro console or console game maker has explicitly allowed for the legal distribution of modified copies of its classic titles in any form.

The hub comes complete with a virtual CRT TV, graphic enhancement filters, a virtual shelf of cartridge boxes, and a day/night cycle to show you just how much time you're wasting in front of decades-old games. The newly announced Sega Mega Drive Classics Hub will serve as a 3D front end for emulated Sega ROMs you already own on Steam, simulating the kind of bedroom a diehard Sega fan may have had in the mid-'90s. Now, Sega is finally lending some official support to what has until now been a very unofficial activity, adding the ability to modify and redistribute certain classic PC-emulated Genesis titles through Valve's Steamworks platform. For decades now, the only real way to enjoy the many fan-modified versions of classic console games floating around was through the legally questionable method of downloading altered ROM files and running them through a computer emulator ( legal cartridge-ripping hardware notwithstanding).

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