Dark Reign remake invades Xbox Live Indie Games

Xbox Live Indie Games is an unlikely place to find a vintage PC RTS, but that’s just where Dark Reign Redux launched last week. Even more curiously, it’s a fan remake released with approval from the original’s publisher, Activision.

January 30, 2012 3:30 PM5

Xbox Live Indie Games is an unlikely place to find a vintage PC RTS, but that’s just where Dark Reign Redux launched last week. Even more curiously, it’s a fan remake released with approval from the original Dark Reign: The Future of War‘s publisher, Activision.

“We have worked out a deal with Activision to remake the game,” developer Magnetar Games explained in a post on Microsoft’s private Creator Club forums, snapped by Armless Octopus. “The art assets are fully authorized. The legal issues has been reviewed by Activision’s lawyer. Dark Reign Redux is a remake game QA’ed by Activision.”

Dark Reign: Redux is available from the Xbox Live Marketplace now for 400 Microsoft Points ($5). You can also play a demo on PC through your browser with the Silverlight plugin, and a mobile version is planned too.

It’s not the first time Activision has let fans play with its unused properties. The monolithic publisher also authorised, after a few hiccups, the fan-made King’s Quest sequel The Silver Lining, though that was never sold for money.