> The archive is for everyone, and we welcome all inquiries. However, we prioritize requests that support gaming culture, gaming history, and the games industry. /../ While the archive is not open to the public, we hope /../
The archive is for everyone, but it's only for these groups of people, and it's also not open to the public... Yikes.
I'd much rather support initiatives that actually make the games and software required to run them open to the public, like GOG.com and Internet Archive. This feels like a one-way transaction - society puts games in, society gets nothing back.
forgotTheLast · 1h ago
Isn't that the company that bought the IP to a bunch of games franchises just to kill all ongoing development? Ironic.
pogue · 3h ago
The contributions they're looking for are apparently games and not monetary donations.
What exactly they're doing with the archive isn't stated. The FAQ doesn't explain, other than vague intentions to have the ability to do research and possibly some sort of museum (I think?)
The archive isn't even open to the public, why should the public donate games then?
ThrowawayR2 · 1h ago
What other archives or museums are there for video games that are accepting donations of physical game media? There are probably a lot of HN readers with old games in the attic that are bound for the landfill once they get around to it.
Their Library Director Phil Salvador is a serious historian, who researched, interviewed people, and wrote the deep history of Maxis's serious games division, Maxis Business Simulations, John Hiles, and SimRefinery, which led to its recovery when a reader discovering a floppy disk of it that had been sitting in a drawer for decades!
It’s like the seed bank, except all the seeds are effectively dead, because no one can use them. But, they have the seeds’ pretty shells and can imagine what plants they once were.
Personally, I think there should be a non-profit that works with non-profits like this, computer and console equipment museums, Internet Archive, and a spacefaring company to ensure that history is protected in a logical way.
nrb · 2h ago
Is it too cynical to think they’re just building this to train AI against your donated games?
blharr · 1h ago
It looks more like they're just hoarding a massive personal collection of games... No mention of if this is open to public.
Or if they're even digitizing the games for some use of preservation. I always feel like when you hoard things in one location like this, one fire or other natural disaster and the entire collection is gone!
zabzonk · 1h ago
> Embracer Games Archive is a part of Embracer Group - the parent company of businesses led by entrepreneurs in PC, console and mobile games, as well as other related media.
very unclear who these people actually are
shakna · 1h ago
Embracer started out as Nordic Games.
They ran around buying and gutting every IP they could get their hands on. Nordic became THQ Nordic, whilst continuing to eat everyone around them, whilst also nearly going bankrupt multiple times, before eventually ditching the name because investors didn't like people noticing just who they were.
They are the group that ate Dark Horse, CoffeeStain, Gearbox, Square Enix, Saber Interactive and so many more.
Today, they are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
biglyburrito · 4h ago
Sorry, but I don't trust Embracer with being a good steward of games in any capacity.
Is there something specific in that corporate saga you're referring to?
I'm not inclined to trust corporate do-gooding either, but it would be nice to have some detail.
stego-tech · 3h ago
The long and short of it is Embracer has spent its entire existence as a consumption entity, buying every IP and studio it could get its hands on, with the intention of being a gaming publisher juggernaut. This was all done on ZIRP-era credit.
They then proceeded to run it into the ground. Waves of layoffs and studio closures, mismanagement, and a credit crunch that ultimately debilitated the company.
In other words, from the outside anyway, it looks like a classic Private Equity layup and cashout.
Do not trust the Embracer Group.
thenthenthen · 1h ago
So their name is a hint at “ Embrace, (extend), and extinguish”?
stego-tech · 1h ago
...damn, that's a good one!
nomdep · 1h ago
Well, for starters, partially owned by the Saudi state. It might be common to take a lot of money from them, but I personally think it’s morally wrong
DonHopkins · 30m ago
So they embrace game developers, then cut them up into small pieces with a bone saw?
Then they disposed of the Pieces Interactive by feeding them to Piranha Bytes!
integricho · 3h ago
what does the public gain from them?
merbanan · 2h ago
Doesn't seem like they are digitising the media.
devwastaken · 28m ago
this will be demolished before 5 years time. physical archives dont work, theyre inefficient and costly. people get bored. the best archive is torrent seeding.
> Can I visit the archive?
> The archive is for everyone, and we welcome all inquiries. However, we prioritize requests that support gaming culture, gaming history, and the games industry. /../ While the archive is not open to the public, we hope /../
The archive is for everyone, but it's only for these groups of people, and it's also not open to the public... Yikes.
I'd much rather support initiatives that actually make the games and software required to run them open to the public, like GOG.com and Internet Archive. This feels like a one-way transaction - society puts games in, society gets nothing back.
What exactly they're doing with the archive isn't stated. The FAQ doesn't explain, other than vague intentions to have the ability to do research and possibly some sort of museum (I think?)
https://embracergamesarchive.com/#faq
Has a large collection of old systems and games, magazines and anything else they can get hold of. It's also open to visitors.
https://gamehistory.org/
Their Library Director Phil Salvador is a serious historian, who researched, interviewed people, and wrote the deep history of Maxis's serious games division, Maxis Business Simulations, John Hiles, and SimRefinery, which led to its recovery when a reader discovering a floppy disk of it that had been sitting in a drawer for decades!
https://gamehistory.org/library-director-phil-salvador/
https://gamehistory.org/ep-11-simrefinery-simulated-by-a-ref...
https://obscuritory.com/
https://obscuritory.com/sim/when-simcity-got-serious/
https://obscuritory.com/sim/simrefinery-recovered/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ6Cqn5rTfs
Quite a long trip for many. That seems to signify that they're not a large enough organization to be an archive.
Personally, I think there should be a non-profit that works with non-profits like this, computer and console equipment museums, Internet Archive, and a spacefaring company to ensure that history is protected in a logical way.
Or if they're even digitizing the games for some use of preservation. I always feel like when you hoard things in one location like this, one fire or other natural disaster and the entire collection is gone!
very unclear who these people actually are
They ran around buying and gutting every IP they could get their hands on. Nordic became THQ Nordic, whilst continuing to eat everyone around them, whilst also nearly going bankrupt multiple times, before eventually ditching the name because investors didn't like people noticing just who they were.
They are the group that ate Dark Horse, CoffeeStain, Gearbox, Square Enix, Saber Interactive and so many more.
Today, they are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embracer_Group#History
I'm not inclined to trust corporate do-gooding either, but it would be nice to have some detail.
They then proceeded to run it into the ground. Waves of layoffs and studio closures, mismanagement, and a credit crunch that ultimately debilitated the company.
In other words, from the outside anyway, it looks like a classic Private Equity layup and cashout.
Do not trust the Embracer Group.
Then they disposed of the Pieces Interactive by feeding them to Piranha Bytes!