GOG is a digital game platform created by the Polish game developer CD PROJEKT RED (Sabbonk 2077 ” Witches ” series ” ), known as Good Old Games, which can be seen by name as the main sales and operation of classical old games, and is well known to the players by optimizing and transplanting old games to meet the newest learning system. Last November, GOG announced the launch of the Game Preservation Rescue Program, a programme designed to ensure that classic games can operate permanently on modern equipment, which has won wide praise. The plan promises to maintain hundreds of games on an ongoing basis, even if the GoG platform loses its sales authorization. This is a lifelong commitment to preserving the game, regardless of the indifference of the original distributor, which was hailed by global players.
However, while the project is still moving forward, implementation in practice is far more difficult than anticipated and even dramatic scenes have emerged in which private detectives have been hired to ensure ownership of a particular game. Marcin Paczynski, Senior Manager of the GOG Business Development, and Macie Gołębiewski, Managing Director of the Board, revealed to The Games Business that the diversity of the speed and manner in which the game failed posed great challenges. In an interview, Marcin Pajinski said: “In truth, this is more difficult than we thought.” Part of the problem is that many of the 3,000 games that GoG has repaired in the past have failed again in almost 20 years. The original plan was to update the archives through modern technology programmes and to commit to “life-long quality assurance”, but Markin Pajinski said: “When we started working, we found that the state of play had deteriorated at a much faster rate”.
The challenge is not limited to initiating troubleshooting, but involves many details. “We are faced with a more delicate situation,” Marcin Pajinski explains, “such as games that do not fit modern handles, do not support super-wide screens and modern resolution, or even minimize such basic functions.” It’s not fatal, but these problems have prompted the GoG to adjust the target properly. – The planned completion of 500 games by the end of 2025 has now been adjusted to 300-350. Complex situations also arise from the various types of DRM protection that many old games carry, as well as the stringent attitude of IP holders to access the source code, which sheds light on the mist of copyright attribution. During the interviews, the GoG team explored in depth the unique experience of acquiring the final version of the game, which reportedly required even contact with refinery personnel. Most surprisingly, in order to extend the life of a game, they have resorted to private detectives in search of hidden copyrights. In addition to the original copyright holder who became a millionaire oil tycoon, a British heir who inherited the game rights was completely disconnected. Machin Pajinski recalled: “When we hired local detectives to find him, we found out that he lived in hiding without even a mobile phone or a network, even knowing that he owned the game rights.” It is gratifying, however, that the heir finally “has shown great enthusiasm for the preservation of the family heritage”.
Although it is not a purely public good act, preservation is particularly urgent in an era when game distributors even sell their work that same year. Despite the difficulties, it was gratifying to learn that the project was still in progress.