In an industry increasingly dominated by purely digital licensing models as it moves away from physical media, DRM-free distribution platform GOG sends a clear signal to protect video game culture. While console makers like Sony aim to phase out disc production in the medium term and reduce data storage media to a minimum, CD Projekt subsidiary is expanding its preservation program (GOG Preservation Program) to include nostalgic details.
GOG has teamed up with Benjamin Wimmer, the brains behind the community archive Big Box Collection, and now offers high-resolution, interactive 3D models of classic PC cardboard boxes. Not only can users rotate the iconic packaging in the browser or native 3D viewer on Windows and Mac, but they also receive flat printable templates so they can assemble the boxes themselves as paper craft projects for their own shelves.
The program begins with a selection of five classics from the catalog, including landmark titles such as Myst, Bloodline, Hitman: Codename 47, Star Wars: 25th Anniversary and Armirog. The “GOG Preservation Project” now includes more than 300 games and is no longer limited to keeping the actual code executable on modern hardware and current operating systems. Instead, the cultural context of the 1980s and 1990s takes center stage.
Big boxes back then were more than just a box: they contained carefully designed manuals, physical world maps, wheels for copy protection checks, and inserts that greatly increased the immersion of the game.
The move contrasts with current developments in the console world, where purely digital hardware without drives is increasingly becoming the standard. Critics and preservationists have long complained that the loss of physical data carriers increases consumers’ reliance on digital server infrastructure. If online stores are closed or publishers lose distribution rights, books risk disappearing forever.
By combining DRM-free installation files with freely accessible archive data, GOG demonstrates what digital archiving can look like, giving owners back control over their purchased content. Papercraft functionality will gradually be expanded to include other works from the preservation catalog. For PC gamers who miss the tactility of yesteryear, the platform provides a tongue-in-cheek bridge between digital availability and actual collecting enthusiasm.
