With the announcement that PlayStation will no longer support physical releases from 2028, game preservation has once again become a hot topic in the gaming community.
The topic of the original versions of the games being unavailable to play on modern systems was brought up at a recent Square Enix shareholder meeting, and the company's response was not promising.
Square Enix's approach to conservation is poor
This is especially relevant for Square Enix because the company has a large inventory of spin-offs, mobile games and decades-old software that could be very difficult to maintain without the company's support.
“How we enable customers to enjoy the game after service depends on the nature of the title,” Square Enix replied. “For example, for the Nier series, we share information through official livestreams. For other titles, we save cut scenes on video streaming platforms.”
“We will continue to create appropriate paths for each title to ensure that players are able to enjoy them even after the end of the service or the end of the story,” concludes the reply.
No disrespect to Square Enix, but acknowledging the existence of older titles and releasing cutscenes on YouTube doesn't exactly equate to proper game preservation.
There are several instances within Square Enix's own back catalog where the original version of a game is unavailable, only remasters are available for purchase.
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Everyone loves the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, but what happens when the original Final Fantasy 7 is no longer available? We've seen companies upsell consumers to Koei Tecmo delist base versions such as soft remasters or 'upgraded' versions.
In a world where physical media is disappearing, and without legal protection, we are at the mercy of publishers. A publisher can deactivate and delist a game at its discretion, potentially depriving everyone of a piece of gaming history.
Unfortunately, patronage is seen as unnecessary for publishers because it does not generate revenue. Eliminating physical media will only exacerbate the issue, which is why the reaction to Sony's decision has been so fierce.
However, without specific consumer legislation, such as that advocated by Stop Killing Games, we are looking at the whims of corporations.
- Date of establishment
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April 1, 2003
- Headquarters
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Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
