I don’t play much. And even if I play I search for some good old games from 1995-2002 and sometimes even earlier.

Recently I found a game called Netstorm. There is an interesting story that I want to share with you.

A demo of the game was originally released by Activision on September 15, 1997, but a flaw allowed users to convert it in to a full-version download. This in combination with the close launch date of the popular Age of Empires and lack of promotion by Activision meant game sales were poor.
Activision maintained the official servers for a number of years until player numbers diminished and the servers were closed down on May 28, 2002. Shortly after, fans of the game set up unofficial servers to keep Netstorm alive. Additional unofficial patches have now been released which add several new options, allowing for more varied games. An expansion pack, which aims to double the number of units available, is in development.
Recently, Netstorm became abandonware and can be downloaded for free at Netstorm Headquarters. (taken from wikipedia)

But what is the most interesting - the game itself is fantastic! The computer gaming magazines put it on the first place of something like "The best unknown game" lists! In fact - we see that game is still alive and moreover - people play in it online. Of course there are not a lot of them but community is stable and very loyal.
So how Activision could turn this project to their own welfare? Actually quiet simple - continue developing of existing version, make a blog and keep updating. After a hard work they had to release a second version that would be immediately bought by the community they’ve made by their actions!

Unfortunately the project is not developing on it’s own so good. At 1997 we had only web 1.0 and no Permission Marketing book by Seth Godin.