# OpenMTV: Mad TV decompiled and ported to modern systems

> OpenMTV ports the 1991 DOS game Mad TV to Windows, macOS, and Linux using readable C reconstructed from its executable. A static recompiler supplies machine-level C for remaining code, while a DOS and hardware runtime supports the game and comparisons with original behavior.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Game
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-11-06
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-09
- Original resource: <https://github.com/openmtv/openmtv>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/openmtv/openmtv/blob/413ab9c538700809fe1bc444c31addb486bb36c9/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/openmtv-mad-tv-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/openmtv-mad-tv-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/openmtv-mad-tv-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Supply your own Mad TV files: MTV.EXE, INTRO.EXE, SOURCE1.RSC, SOURCE2.RSC, MCV.BIN, and DATAV.PCK for source builds.
- **Prerequisites:** Source builds require a C compiler, make, SDL2, Python 3.8+ with capstone, and Go 1.25+ for the launcher.
- **Limits:** The author reports 591 of 601 game functions in readable C; the remainder uses machine-level C.
- **License:** GPL-3.0.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/openmtv/openmtv/blob/413ab9c538700809fe1bc444c31addb486bb36c9/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/openmtv/openmtv/blob/413ab9c538700809fe1bc444c31addb486bb36c9/names/FINDINGS.md>
3. <https://github.com/openmtv/openmtv/blob/413ab9c538700809fe1bc444c31addb486bb36c9/src/README.md>

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## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.