A LinkedIn posting indicates that Sony is creating a PlayStation Game Preservation team at the company. Sony is updating PlayStation Plus to offer a subscription service akin to Xbox Game Pass. One must wonder if the library of older PlayStation titles would appear on it.
Garrett Fredly, a software engineer who worked at EA a few years ago, announced on LinkedIn. Yesterday was his first day on a newly created PlayStation Game Preservation team.
“Game Preservation was my first career passion,” he continues. “It was my first foray into the world of Software Engineering / Dev Ops, and into a world that so many are unaware of. I was just a novice back then, contributing any way I could regardless of my inexperience. Now, I’m back to it, no longer the novice I once was.”
The idea of game preservation is something that is also of interest to Xbox head Phil Spencer. “My hope (and I think I have to present it that way as of now) is an industry we’d work on legal emulation that allowed modern hardware to run any (within reason) older executable allowing someone to play any game,” he told Axios back in November.
Nintendo, too, has used emulation to preserve older titles. They infamously released Super Mario 3D All-Stars with an emulated version of the GameCube title Super Mario Sunshine.
Based on industry trends, a PlayStation Game Preservation team makes sense. Gamers are clamoring for ways to play older games on new hardware. It would be nice if they’re able to include classic titles into their new subscription service. Adding in beloved gems from the PlayStation library seems like a win-win.
Sony has not officially commented on the new PlayStation Game Preservation team. Their official purpose is also unknown. When the time is right, I’m sure we’ll hear more.
Not that Nintendo will ever admit it!