Openblack is a an attempt to recreate lost god game Black & White in a modern, open source game engine

Black & White was a god game that had its fair share of frustrations, but its verve and ambition made it a game worth playing. Unfortunately, it is currently not available for purchase digitally, possibly due to rights issues between EA (the original publisher) and Microsoft (who acquired and closed developers Lionhead).

If you still have a physical copy of Black & White, you might want to check out Openblack. This fan-led project aims to create a modern, open-source engine to run Black & White, with its first build recently released.

Openblack has been in development since 2018, with contributions from people on Github. While you can download a pre-built binary, there are still some command line tweaks required to run it smoothly.

It’s important to note that this project is still in its early stages, labeled as v0.10 by its developers. However, it shows promise for those looking to play Black & White on modern machines and various operating systems. A Linux build is already available.

In essence, the possibility of playing Black & White on a platform like Steam Deck relies on projects like Openblack. While buying it digitally may not be an option, playing it on modern computers is feasible, albeit not without its challenges.

For those interested in modernizing Black & White, following a fan-led open-source project like Openblack seems like a more worthwhile endeavor than other alternatives.

Thanks, GamingOnLinux.