Steam gets a boatload of restored Wing Commanders and Ultima ports after EA producer stumbles across cupboard of old tapes

EA has recently added a collection of restored and remastered classic games to their platforms Steam, GOG, and their own EA App. This assortment comprises 25 games, including multiple installments from the beloved Wing Commander and Ultima franchises. The sudden release of these titles was sparked by an EA senior producer, Jim Vessella, stumbling upon a forgotten cupboard containing old tapes, film reels, and CDs while preparing the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection.

During the search, Vessella discovered a storage room with several of these items, which he likened to an Indiana Jones experience. Intrigued by what he found, he explored the contents and realized the potential of these games for modern audiences. Consequently, he convinced his superiors that restoring these games would be worth the effort, leading to their release on various platforms.

The restored versions of these games come with quality-of-life updates and higher resolution Full-Motion Videos (FMV) from the original Master Tapes. The lineup includes faithful ports of other games as well. Currently, all of these titles are available on Steam for prices under £5 each, with the more expensive ones reaching just under £10 upon the conclusion of a promotional offer on November 19th.

While the news brings good news in terms of preserving these classic games, there are still some concerns surrounding EA's ownership and potential future changes in the company's direction.