Classic naval strategy Harpoon is back on Steam, but die-hard fans point out serious problems with re-release

Harpoon Classic ’97 is a naval warfare sim that first came out in December 1996, published by 360 Pacific / Interactive Magic. It’s part of the long-running Harpoon series, which originally started as a tabletop wargame by Larry Bond back in the ’80s. The series has a reputation for being one of the most detailed and realistic modern naval combat sims out there, so much so that for some fans, it’s more than just a game, it’s a cult classic. That said, the recent Steam re-release comes with rather big issue.

Harpoon Classic ’97 on Steam, but not fully up to date

The Harpoon series has been around for decades, and because of that, it’s been published by different companies at different times. In the late ’90s and 2000s the rights moved around a lot, and most recently it was Matrix Games that kept the series alive with updates, compilations, and new versions.

Source: Harpoon Classic '97; Developer: Alliance Interactive

Now, with yesterday’s Steam launch, the reins have passed to MicroProse. But as one reviewer pointed out, what we’ve actually got here is Harpoon Classic ’97 version 1.60, which isn’t even the most up-to-date build. It’s basically the same game from nearly 30 years ago, which is nice in a nostalgic way, but also a bit of a step back.

The bigger issue is that this is now the only official way to buy Harpoon. As of April 2025, Matrix Games lost the rights for the series.

So while it’s nice to see Harpoon on Steam, it comes at a cost: the newer, community-polished versions have vanished. In other words, decades of development and fan-driven improvements are no longer officially available, leaving us with a nostalgic classic, but not the best the series had to offer.

Harpoon Classic '97

December 10, 1996

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• Overview

• strategy games
• oldschool / retro
• MicroProse