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Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

embracergamesarchive.com

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Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#31

Post by DonHopkins »

rasz wrote: post #29
mzajc wrote: post #23

From their FAQ > 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…

>The archive is for everyone, but it's only for these groups of people, and it's also not open to the public... Its Lars Wingefors private collection.

Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors: "I'm sure I deserve a lot of criticism":

https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1cb93xy/embracer_ceo...

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/embracer-ceo-lars-wingefors-im...

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#32

Post by beloch »

forgotTheLast wrote: post #13

Isn't that the company that bought the IP to a bunch of games franchises just to kill all ongoing development? Ironic.

Embracer group has been around for a while but, in recent years, they acquired far more companies than they could realistically do anything with because they thought they could flip them for a profit. They failed and had to take a hatchet to much of what they acquired, pissing off fans of companies that were either completely obliterated or hollowed out and outsourced.

>* Our mission is to have an archive of physical games as extensive as possible. With the purpose of contributing to the joint preservation of video game culture and history.

Now they're looking for donations to a private collection that will not be open to the public. They likely plan to sell the collection the highest bidder at some point. If they can't find a buyer, they'll bin the lot of it rather than continue to pay storage costs. The employees working for them may believe in what they're doing, but Embracer group now has a history of pulling the rug out from under such people.

--------------

Edit: The archive is based in Sweden, which has a really hopping museum scene. They could make a for-profit museum with these materials and a few talented museologists and it would likely do well. They mention no such plans and that's very odd.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#33

Post by arp242 »

mzajc wrote: post #23

From their FAQ > 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…

This is how most archives work. You can't just have a stroll around for the craic. And there's no point really, because it's not a museum – most people would be bored quite fast, unless you have a specific reason.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#34

Post by moogly »

beloch wrote: post #32
forgotTheLast wrote: post #13

Isn't that the company that bought the IP to a bunch of games franchises just to kill all ongoing development? Ironic.

Embracer group has been around for a while but, in recent years, they acquired far more companies than they could realistically do anything with because they thought they could flip them for a profit. They failed and had to take a hatchet to much of what they acquired, pissing off fans of companies that were either completely obliterated or hollowed out and outsourced. >* Our mission is to have an archive of physical…

> Sweden, which has a really hopping museum scene

Citation needed. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/09/25/s...

https://swedenherald.com/article/tough-economic-situation-fo...

For-profit museums aren't really a thing in Sweden either, because you won't be making a profit, unless you're the Vasa Museum, but even that is struggling.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#35

Post by bitwize »

shakna wrote: post #19
zabzonk wrote: post #15

> 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

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 I…

Square Enix is still independent. They've got their fingers in so many pies, they're almost in the "too big to fail" category.

The SE-Embracer connection is that SE spun off Crystal Dynamics and its properties like Tomb Raider, selling them to Embracer Group.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#36

Post by mzajc »

arp242 wrote: post #33
mzajc wrote: post #23

From their FAQ > 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…

This is how most archives work. You can't just have a stroll around for the craic. And there's no point really, because it's not a museum – most people would be bored quite fast, unless you have a specific reason.

Exactly, and you shouldn't have to visit the archive to play its games in the first place. That's why I mentioned IA and GOG.com in particular - both let you download games remotely.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#37

Post by RetroTechie »

dlundqvist wrote: post #30
merbanan wrote: post #8

Doesn't seem like they are digitising the media.

No, only cataloguing. I asked them this when I was there January last year. They didn't do this then and if I remember correctly it was because of licensing concerns and also not wanting to open boxes. I know Royal Library in Stockholm digitally archive various media, not sure what Embracer would need to be allowed to do that.

also not wanting to open boxes

What?!? How can one preserve games without opening boxes? Physical media don't last forever.

Unless they're interested in preserving the boxes themselves? (or other goodies inside)

Reads like they're looking for donations to enlarge a private collection. Or perhaps obtain some physical copies for stuff in their IP portfolio?

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#39

Post by arp242 »

mzajc wrote: post #36
arp242 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how most archives work. You can't just have a stroll around for the craic. And there's no point really, because it's not a museum – most people would be bored quite fast, unless you have a specific reason.

Exactly, and you shouldn't have to visit the archive to play its games in the first place. That's why I mentioned IA and GOG.com in particular - both let you download games remotely.

That's like saying that a digital scan of the book of Kells is identical to the authentic object.

Re: Embracer Games Archive is preserving 75000 video games and needs contributions

#40

Post by awkwardpotato »

forgotTheLast wrote: post #13

Isn't that the company that bought the IP to a bunch of games franchises just to kill all ongoing development? Ironic.

Yes, they're also currently $2 billion dollars in debt and are attempting to split into 3 separate companies.

"Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends" - The legal successor to Embracer. For their triple A studios and major ip rights (they currently own the rights to LOTR-based games)

"Coffee Stain & Friends" - For their indie studios. (Named after their most successful indie studio, the people behind Goat Simulator and Satisfactory)

Asmodee - Their board and card game group. They took out a 900 million euro "financial agreement" with Embracer to pay back part of their debts. Officially a separate entity as of February.

[0] https://embracer.com/releases/embracer-group-announces-its-i...

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