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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd Oct 2020 at 1:21 PM
Legality of downloading abandonware?
So I want to download TS1 Complete Collection from either Old Games Download or My Abandonware, but I'm worried I'll get in trouble if i do it since technically downloading it is illegal, though it's not available anywhere officially . I would order it from Amazon or Ebay, but it's kind of too expensive for a 15 year old game in 2020 and shipping in to Slovakia is probably going to make the price go even more crazy. So I want to know if it's ok to download it or not lol .
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Lab Assistant
#2 Old 24th Oct 2020 at 1:14 PM Last edited by ed95 : 9th Feb 2021 at 11:39 AM.
Hi!

You probably already sorted this out yourself, but let's see if I can help you.

Firstly, yeah, discussion of piracy in this forum is not permitted, so you can't get help here about downloading the original Sims. That said, it's also true that the last Sims 1 game released was The Sims Complete Collection, in 2008, and only physically; to date, there are no "online" ways to get the game legally. It is not available on Origin either (in fact, I believe it doesn't even appear there), or even GOG, were you can add it to your game list, but it is not downloadable (in EA's words, the game is "too old". You can read more about it here). And, as you said, copies of the original game are sparse and insanely expensive.

So... it is actually a pretty interesting debate wether the game is abandonware or not. Technically, it is, since it is out of print, either physically or online; but EA doesn't really want to drop the ball, apparently, and asking about a free download will probably get you a warning in, say, the Offical Forums. So... since the game falls in a "legal void" and EA doesn't really care about it (unless you tell them you have a downloaded copy), I wouldn't really care if I had one of them. You can always search, too, in thrift stores and apps for the original game and expansions (I recall seeing a copy of Livin' Large here in Spain), and make your little collection, bit by bit.
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