Steam quietly makes hit game free to download and keep forever

An extremely well-received game has just become free (forever) to keep on Steam, just because the developer felt like it.

ABI-DOS is an operating system simulator from developer ABI.DOS.SOFTWARE, and you can download for free by visiting its Steam page.

No need to be quick about it though, as this isn’t a timed event. ABI-DOS will now be free in perpetuity.

But, why? Does the developer hate money or something? Uh, well, sort of by the sounds of things.

“This decision comes after modest sales during the first month and a half after release,” writes the developer in a post on Steam, “While the game was still profitable, financial gain was never my primary motivation (I have an independent job outside of game development).”

“My true passion lies in creating Zach-like games with open-ended puzzles and intricate technical solutions. Now, my goal is to reach a wider audience. If significant revenue isn’t feasible, I’d much rather let more people experience and enjoy the game for free.”

Well isn’t that wholesome? If you’re feeling keen to throw the developer some cash anyway, there is a link in that Steam post that you can use to send them some money (if you’re feeling nice).

ICYMI: A new trailer for season two of The Last of Us has landed.

So what is an “operating system simulator” anyway? Pretty much exactly what you’d expect, from looking at the trailer on the Steam page.

You’re moving a bunch of stuff around to build a circuit and automating “UBITS” (which the developer handily explains are “coloured mobile data blocks”) so you can get your system up and running.

They also state that “The Admin is always watching, and he’s not what he seems”, so it seems like there’s a little bit of a narrative buried in ABI-DOS too.

But why are you letting me tell you all this waffle? Go download it for yourself. It’s literally free.