The issue of game preservation is not always a policy that the big companies that created the games in the first place want to support, at least not without being able to get something for it. Many celebrated that at the 30th anniversary broadcast of the Warcraft franchise, Blizzard announced a Warcraft Remastered Battle Chest with the two original games updated for the new times, but it seems that before its release on 13 December, it is trying to erase the ones that have been around (and much cheaper) for years on GOG.
It seems like a minor issue, but perhaps not so minor. These older versions have some improved multiplayer support and texture updates, and are also available DRM-free. That means that if you have them downloaded, you’ll be able to install them on your compatible system 50 years from now, if you want. They’ll be yours forever. Blizzard wants you to checkout with the new stuff, without having access to the original (although currently those original versions are also on battle.net, it’s quite possible that on December 13th, the one month anniversary of the new ones going on sale, they’ll disappear there too).
PC Gamer, who brought the issue to light, has attempted to contact Blizzard for clarification, but has yet to receive a response. However, GOG has already made a move and announced that Warcraft I & II are now part of their game preservation programme, offering perpetual support so that there will always be compatibility with these versions in the future. The only condition is that they must be the ones they distribute in their shop, and that they must be purchased before 13 December, when they will be removed from sale at GOG.
So if you want the original Warcraft I & II experience on PC with a guarantee of being able to enjoy it both now and in the future, make sure you get it from GOG before 13 December. Plus, they now have an additional discount code “MakeWarcraftLiveForever”, which takes an extra couple of euros off the final price. Are you going to pass it up?