Blizzard rewards fan with a free trip to Blizzcon after returning Starcraft source code

Years ago, Blizzard lost the Gold Master disc for the original Starcraft, containing all of the original source code. Eventually, it was put in a box of Blizzard memorabilia and was sold on eBay, ending up in the hands of Reddit user ‘Khemist49'. At the time, there were plenty of suggestions for what should be done with the source code, but eventually, Khemist49 chose to just give it back to Blizzard, and now he is being rewarded for it.

The source code disc for Starcraft was found about a month ago, with an image being posted online. At the time, some suggested that the source code be uploaded online for all the world to see, while others suggested that the disc be sent to a museum for preservation. In the end, Blizzard came across the thread and found that the gold master disc was missing from its vault.

After hearing that the disc was stolen from Blizzard, Khemist49 decided to return it to Blizzard and as a thank you, the studio sent him a box Overwatch and Diablo swag, including Razer's Overwatch themed keyboard, headset and mouse. He also got $250 of credit for the Blizzard store and an all expenses paid trip to Blizzcon this year.

After spending some time at Blizzcon, he will be going out for dinner and drinks with some of the Blizzard team. It sounds like a pretty sweet deal, though some on Reddit are less than pleased about the situation, blasting Khemist49 for not leaking the source code.

KitGuru Says: While it would have been interesting for modders to take a peek at the source code for Starcraft, returning it to Blizzard was definitely the right thing to do in this instance. The move did put this guy in Blizzard's good graces but if he had leaked the disc, it's very possible that Blizzard's lawyers  would have come knocking.

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