We are passionate about all gaming, but retro games specifically are the most endangered to being lost to time.

Video games are a part of our culture as much as movies, music, books, and other entertainment staples. With original consoles and hardware like CRTs becoming more difficult to acquire or a full barrier to entry for newer generations, it’s more important than ever to provide a variety of ways to access older titles.

That’s why we’ve made it our mission to work with developers to ensure their creations can reach as many people as possible using our Syrup engine. We’re reaching back in time to save as many games from their platform prisons as we can to either let you relive your cherished memories or bring a whole new generation of gamers who never had the chance to experience the joy.

There are many different perspectives on what preservation should look like, and we are of the opinion that there is no right or wrong answer. The more options available, the more the community overall grows and wins.

Whether you are working to document and record all known video games, preserve source codes, develop technology to make games available, or working within the industry to either revitalize or restore classic games in all their janky glory, all roads are valid and bring us closer to recovering the roughly 87% of classic video games that are completely unavailable.

Fantastic video of Frank Cifaldi from GDC 2016 showcasing the difficulties of preserving old video games and the benefits of emulation

We’re only one thread in the greater tapestry. The retro community has many hard-working individuals and groups doing their part to preserve our cultural history or make games available to collectors, enthusiasts, and casual gamers alike.

Below is a selection of groups that we support, as well as publishers we have partnered with. We’re looking forward to growing this list!

Video Game History Foundation

The Video Game History Foundation is an invaluable resource in the preservation of video games. The offer a wide array of resources and information, including the country’s first library dedicated to the study of video game history! Additionally, they work to preserve source code and assets, and work with companies on recovery and restoration efforts as well. The work they are doing to preserve gaming history cannot be understated.

The Strong International Center for the History of Electronic Games

The Strong was born from the fascinating life and collection of Margaret Woodbury Strong, a fierce and avid collector dedicated to sharing her passions with the world. Though she never grew her personal museum beyond one wing of her home, in her will she left her collections and financial resources dedicated to building a proper museum, and in 1982, the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum opened. These days known as The Strong, the museum has grown to showcase multiple different types of gaming collections, including toys, dolls, puzzles, board games, and of course, video games, as well as an ever-growing assortment of other interesting collections.

Stand Up to Cancer

Preserving video games is not the only fight we take part in. Preservation of life is above all else, the most important. We’re proud to support Stand Up To Cancer and the hard work they do in working toward a brighter future for all of us - including our beloved video game community. The SU2C community often does streaming fundraisers with a heavy focus on gaming - we encourage you to check them out and support if you are able!

Partners

Limited Run Games
Morphcat Games
PlayStation Partners