90s CD-ROM games are finally Windows 10 compatible with ScummVM

Do you remember all of those gross-looking 90s CD-ROM games? The ones with the rudimentary CGI that made everything look slick and wet like uncured resin? Well, thanks to ScummVM you can now play them on a computer that doesn't scream in pain when it's turned on!

After five years of hard work, the team behind ScummVM has succeeded in bringing old CD-ROM games to modern hardware. By successfully bringing Macromedia Director to the emulation software, a new library of retro games are now available to play!

How to play Macromedia Director games on Windows 10/ Windows 11

Until now, retro PC games that ran on Macromedia Director were unplayable on modern PCs. As Windows evolved over the past 30 years, support for the old software dropped. Video game archivist Phil Salvador put it best:

“Director games use features of their operating systems like Windows 3.1 or external plugins like QuickTime, there's been no clean, easy way to re-release those [games] on the commercial marketplace. As the ScummVM team continues to improve support for Director, there's a good chance we could see some of these games on the market again."

Now, ScummVM users can run Macromedia Director games on mmodern PCs. However, not all games will work right away. As of now, “Director 2-based titles such as Spaceship Warlock” should be working fine. However, Director 3 software is more hit and miss, although L-ZONE is fully supported.

In the future, further compatibility will be included. Macromedia Director 3 support is going to be expanded. Afterward, Macromedia Director 4 is going to be worked into the emulator.

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Why is old CD-ROM software important?

Macromedia Director wasn’t just used for video games, although that's what most of the preservationists are concerned about. In the 90s, everything from movie trailers to CD-magazines were stored on discs that require the software.

In general, preservation is good for media. The work of the ScummVM team means that old content is now available for anyone to enjoy and learn from.