{
  "id": 1593404,
  "title": "Quake Shareware, a CD-ROM just a little too full",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/quake-shareware-a-cd-rom-just-a-little-too-full",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-17T22:58:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Lobsters",
    "slug": "lobsters",
    "url": "https://fabiensanglard.net/quake_shareware_cd/index.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the mid-90s, CD-ROM drives became the must-have accessory for PC enthusiasts. With their impressive 640 MiB storage capacity, these discs allowed for a whole new level of multimedia experience, featuring high-resolution images, soundtracks, and smooth videos. However, for game developers, the CD-ROM's vast storage proved to be a double-edged sword, as the quantity of assets they could produce fell short of what the drive could hold.\n\nOne notable example of this was id Software's Quake, which initially shipped as shareware. The game's developers saw the potential of leveraging the unused storage space on the CD-ROM and decided to include encrypted versions of their entire game catalogue. This not only saved them the hassle of dealing with retailers but also enabled gamers to access the full game with just a phone call and a credit card.\n\nThe Quake Shareware project was launched in July 1996, but it quickly turned into a disaster. A hacker group named GNOMON released QCRACK.EXE just 39 days later, allowing players to decrypt and unlock the full version of the game for free. The shareware model was no longer viable, as gamers were essentially able to access the entire game for free. In a desperate attempt to regain control, id Software tried to halt the retail shareware distribution, but it was already too late. They were left with almost 150,000 CDs in their warehouse, unable to generate any revenue from the shareware version.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}