Game Preservation
Ongoing coverage on Game Preservation.
Latest coverage
Star Trek Judgement Rites (Amiga Interpreter) - The sequel to Star Trek: 25th Anniversary arrives on the Amiga!
A new custom interpreter has made Star Trek: Judgment Rites playable on the Amiga, decades after its original MS-DOS and Macintosh release. This community-driven software supports enhanced AGA graphics and modern RTG video cards, while also lowering the original hardware requirements. The interpreter allows Amiga owners to run the original game code, with support for English and German text and a utility for translating into other Latin-1 languages.
After a year’s worth of work, the Borderlands Online MMO from China is playable and in English
A fan modder has successfully made the Chinese Borderlands Online MMO playable and translated into English, a year after beginning the project. While still in a playtest phase with expected bugs and server issues, the game has seen over 3,500 players. This effort is being hailed as a win for game preservation, though the modder stated they would comply with any cease-and-desist orders from Gearbox or Take-Two Interactive.
Popular PlayStation Plus Game Going Offline, Last Chance to Play
NBA 2K25, a PlayStation Plus Essential monthly free game, will be delisted from purchase on October 30, 2026, and its servers will shut down permanently on January 1, 2027. This shutdown will render both online and offline modes unplayable, including the MyCareer campaign, due to its reliance on virtual currency purchases.
2K to delist and shut down game's single-player mode after only two years
2K Games will delist NBA 2K25 from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026, just over two years after its September 6, 2024 launch. The game's online servers will shut down on January 1, 2027, rendering its multiplayer and MyCareer modes unplayable. This practice, also seen with WWE 2K23 and PGA Tour 2K23, is criticized as a bleak trend for game preservation.
The Borderlands MMO is officially saved and playable in English, 11 years after its shutdown and 17 months after…
A fan-led effort has successfully revived Borderlands Online, a Chinese-exclusive MMO that shut down 11 years ago. Modder EpicNNG and the community have worked for 17 months to translate the game into English, adapt its UI, and make it playable online and offline. The project, known as BLOL, is not monetized and is currently in playtesting, with over 1,000 accounts created in its first four hours.
Claims that genAI speeds up PC ports of classic games are either "false" or missing the point, says Banjo Kazooie: Recompiled developer
A developer behind the unofficial PC port Banjo-Kazooie: Recompiled argues that claims of generative AI speeding up classic game PC ports are false or misguided. DarioSamo states that the true value lies in understanding and preserving how games were made, a process that AI shortcuts, leading to less polished and understandable code. He emphasizes that the effort to get a game running is just the first step, and the subsequent polish and sustainability are what truly matter.
Kingdom Hearts Collection [1-3] review for Nintendo Switch 2
The Kingdom Hearts Collection [1-3] offers a native, non-streaming release on the Nintendo Switch 2, finally bringing the full saga to a Nintendo handheld without internet dependency. This comprehensive package includes three previously released compilations, providing an accessible and preserved experience for both longtime fans and newcomers to the ambitious action RPG series.
Modders Are Using AI and an NSA Tool to Turn Old Games Into Native PC Port
Modders are leveraging AI and the National Security Agency's Ghidra tool to create native PC ports of older games, moving beyond traditional emulation. AI assists in understanding decompiled code, making the process faster and more manageable for developers aiming to bring classic titles to modern hardware like the Steam Deck with enhanced features.
Konami teases that Belmont’s Curse won’t be the end for Castlevania
Konami has teased future plans for the Castlevania franchise beyond the upcoming release of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse. Producer Tsutomu Taniguchi indicated that the company wants to avoid long gaps between titles to maintain momentum and player engagement. The game is set to release on Nintendo Switch on October 15, 2026.
Zelda and Banjo PC port devs slam new vibe-coded Banjo-Tooie recompilation: "Throwing AI at it is just…
Developers behind fan-made PC ports of classic Nintendo 64 games like The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and Banjo-Kazooie are criticizing a new AI-generated recompilation of Banjo-Tooie. They argue that using AI for such projects is disrespectful to the original developers and the community's efforts, especially when they had plans for their own human-led ports.
Blizzard Adds Beloved 'Kyle's Gone Missing' Quest to World of Warcraft: Forever
Blizzard Entertainment has added the 'Kyle's Gone Missing!' quest to World of Warcraft: Forever, aiming to preserve elements of the original vanilla WoW experience. This addition is part of an effort to include notable quests from the game's history.
"Keep GenAI the f*ck away from MediEvil" - My favorite PS1 creepy comedy caper now has a PC recomp, and…
A PC recompilation project for the classic PlayStation 1 game MediEvil has been released, notably developed entirely by human hands and explicitly rejecting the use of AI. The project adds modern features like widescreen support and improved performance, with the original co-creator Jay Wilson strongly advocating against AI involvement in game development.
Games Inbox: What Amiga games deserve a remake?
Readers discuss which classic Amiga games deserve modern remakes, with titles like Starglider 2, Midwinter, and Cybercon 3 being popular choices. The discussion also touches on the viability of remaking older titles, the current state of the Xbox console, and potential reimagining of Resident Evil games.
Alien Breed 35th Anniversary and the return of Commodore interview
Commodore is relaunching as a publisher, starting with the Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection. The company, which has reacquired its original trademarks, aims to preserve classic games and hardware, with plans for future publishing ventures. The Alien Breed collection features all six original games, updated controls, and extensive museum content, highlighting the importance of game preservation.
I have saved GTA 5 from death and also added tornadoes
The author details their daily struggle to keep Grand Theft Auto 5 running amidst extensive modding, even resorting to deleting random files to fix launch issues. A new mod, TornadoV, has been added, which introduces massive tornadoes to the game world, impacting gameplay and character survival.
Xbox rolls out disc-to-digital program worldwide, but won't somebody please think of the hard drives
Xbox has globally launched its disc-to-digital program, allowing users to convert physical game licenses to digital ones. While this offers a way to preserve game libraries as the industry shifts towards all-digital platforms, the article highlights significant hidden costs related to the required storage space for digital backups, especially for users with extensive physical game collections.
Perfect Ten: 10 reasons why mobile MMORPGs never became a phenomenon
This analysis explores ten reasons why mobile MMORPGs have failed to achieve widespread popularity comparable to their PC and console counterparts. Factors include the novelty wearing off, negative industry stigma, lack of socialization, cluttered interfaces, streamlined design, perceived disposability, short play session focus, aggressive monetization, and general phone fatigue.
Xbox Allowing Players to Hold Digital & Physical Ownerships
Microsoft has launched its 'Disc to Digital' feature for Xbox users, allowing physical game discs to unlock digital licenses. This feature, available for most Xbox One and Xbox Series X titles, links a digital entitlement to the disc, enabling disc-free launching, Xbox Play Anywhere, and Xbox Cloud Gaming benefits without relinquishing the physical copy. The digital entitlement remains tied to the disc, preserving the ability to sell or lend games.
Xbox's disc-to-digital feature rolls out for Series consoles and Xbox One, allowing you to digitise your game-disc collection
Microsoft has officially launched its disc-to-digital feature for Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles, allowing users to convert physical game discs into digital copies tied to their account. This feature supports most physical games across both generations, though eligibility may vary. The digital license transfers with the disc, enabling the new owner to also digitize it.
Snabbkollen: Remake eller remaster?
This article discusses player preferences regarding remakes versus remasters of older video games. A poll indicates a strong majority favor remakes, where games are rebuilt from the ground up, over remasters, which offer graphical enhancements to existing titles.
