German Researchers Warn Open Letter: Video Game Preservation at Risk

Researchers from the German-speaking academic community are warning that the long-term preservation of video games is at risk as publishers and platform owners push distribution further into the digital-only future. In an open letter, scholars argue that physical media and the technical infrastructure needed to archive games are disappearing faster than policy can respond—potentially undermining not just consumer interests, but also the ability of research groups to access titles.

Key takeaways

• An open letter from the Arbeitskreis Geisteswissenschaften und Digitale Spiele (AKGWDS) urges policymakers to act to protect games as a cultural heritage.
• The group’s concerns focus on the possible long-term disappearance of physical media and the infrastructure used for game archiving.
• The “Stop Killing Games” effort aimed to keep online multiplayer titles playable, but the EU Commission signaled it would not intervene because platform operators make the economic decisions.
• Sony has announced that, starting at the end of 2027, it will stop producing and offering PlayStation games on disc, making the PlayStation Store the only route to Sony console game software.
• Funding uncertainty also threatens the International Computer Games Collection (ICS), which may face a temporary shutdown.
• AKGWDS calls for a publisher-independent digital archiving infrastructure, a “mandatory copy” obligation for game publishers, and updates to copyright law to allow legal preservation and private copying for scientific work.

Preservation pressure mounts as digital access becomes gatekept

The AKGWDS open letter frames the current moment as especially unstable for people who treat games as cultural heritage. The researchers point to an industry trend toward the future of purely digital distribution—something that frustrates collectors and players who still prefer purchasing and keeping games on physical discs.

The group’s core worry is that physical media and the supporting infrastructure for game preservation could fade away permanently. In their view, this threatens broader access to games beyond consumer protection, because titles may become unavailable in practice—even for researchers—if they are delisted or otherwise restricted.

Stop Killing Games meets a policy wall at the EU level

The letter ties its preservation concern to the earlier “Stop Killing Games” campaign, which sought to ensure that online multiplayer games remain in a playable state by publishers and distribution platforms. However, the EU Commission indicated that it would not provide support, emphasizing that the issue falls under economic decisions made by operators. Industry groups had already expressed opposition to the idea.

AKGWDS argues that this kind of hands-off stance could have consequences for academic work as well: if multiplayer titles cease to be accessible in playable form, research groups, labs, and libraries could lose primary materials rather than gaining long-term archival access.

Sony’s disc exit and the ICS funding threat raise stakes

Separate from the EU debate, the AKGWDS letter highlights a major industry signal from Sony. Sony has stated that by the end of 2027 it will no longer produce and offer PlayStation games on disc. The preparation work for this transition is already underway, and the PlayStation Store is set to become the sole access route to PlayStation game software. The operator would then decide—at its discretion—which individual games remain available and which could disappear permanently.

The researchers say this creates the risk of “massive restrictions” for research-oriented groups, including game labs and libraries that rely on stable access to game content.

In parallel, the International Computer Games Collection (ICS) faces uncertainty as well. The letter notes that unclear funding jeopardizes its continued operation, with a preliminary end looming unless resources are secured.

AKGWDS’ proposed policy solution: infrastructure, mandatory copies, and copyright updates

AKGWDS summarizes its assessment bluntly: games still appear to be treated as an acceptable, profitable economic factor, but—despite existing decisions to the contrary—they are not consistently recognized as a cultural product. The researchers criticize a policy focus on producing new digital games while preservation of the cultural game legacy receives less attention.

To address that imbalance, the group proposes three concrete steps:

• Creation of a digital archiving infrastructure for scientific preservation of digital games, designed to be independent of influence from publishers, studios, and platform owners.
• Future game science producers should provide a “mandatory copy” (Pflichtexemplar) for archiving purposes.
• Amending copyright to enable legal backup and private copying for scientific purposes, supporting legitimate preservation workflows.