Video games have evolved enormously since their creation back in the 1950s. The simplicity of these early games were the roots of which the industry has built its empire off of, with some making critical recognition for their complexity and innovation that stand the test of time. Sadly, far too many video games have been lost given the technological advancements in graphics and design.
When it comes to game preservation, a few companies are putting their foot down in the face of this challenge and bringing older video games to thecurrent generationof consoles for those to enjoy.Ziggurat Interactiveis one of those companies that’s celebrating and expanding the legacy of video games with their ongoing work in game preservation. One of the titles they are bringing back from the ‘dead’ isKilling Time:Resurrected. We at Hardcore Gamer had the pleasure of interviewing Alex Lotz, Managing Producer atZiggurat Interactive, about the importance of game preservation and the value it has to old and young consumers.
Killing Time: Resurrected Comes Back From the Dead
It’s alive! Nightdive Studios and Ziggurat Interactive are reviving the 1995 comedy horror game with an HD remaster.
Nostalgic for the Good Old Days
[Hardcore Gamer] What attracts the company to a certain title?
[Alex Lotz] A game can be attractive to Ziggurat for many reasons. We look not only for market demand for a re-release or remake, but also for historical and cultural significance. We also look for titles rich with creative vision and unique mechanics, which are often unusual or unprecedented for their time. These are often the IPs with the strongest potential for sequels or spinoffs, as we have seen so many great ideas in games from the past that were not explored to the extent they could have been due to technical limitations, changes in the market or the closure of the relevant studios or publishers.
What is the typical response you get from consumers when it comes to bringing older games to the new generation?
When bringing an older game to modern platforms, we see positive responses from those who remember the game – including those who were aware of the original release but never got around to trying it, excited for a second chance to do so– as well as from those who may never have heard of it. We also see appreciative responses from those who have been waiting years for a way to legally buy or collect a game they love in their preferred digital or physical format.
What should new players expect to learn from these older games?
In playing older games, you can learn the design conventions you may not realize you’ve taken for granted didn’t always exist. It’s fun to discover how older games might have solved certain mechanical, interface and UX problems in ways different from what we are used to in modern games. This can serve as a way to more deeply appreciate how games have evolved and (for game developers and other creatives) can inspire new approaches to making work that feel different from games that take those established conventions for granted.
It’s fun to discover how older games might have solved certain mechanical, interface, and UX problems in ways different from what we are used to in modern games.
Back to the Future
What genre do consumers like to see be re-released?
Since there’s a large appetite for retro-style action games and platformers, you might expect these would be the “most liked,” but with retro re-releases, it’s often games from less popular genres (or games that defy genre altogether) that generate the biggest response. WithKKND(Krush Kill N’ Destroy Extreme), we saw a great outpouring of support from fans who miss the days of real-time strategy games in this style that were still being made regularly. WithBallancewe saw a ton of enthusiasm for a game whose genre is not easily defined. There tends to be more excitement around games that “still hold up” for one reason or another, whether or not they neatly fit in a genre. Like any great book or film, a game can be timeless for many reasons.
With games such asKilling Time Resurrected, how do you approach a nostalgic title without taking too much away from the original?
In the case ofKilling Time: Resurrected, the core gameplay is strong enough in the original that it makes sense to remain faithful to that. The upgrades to the visuals and controls are enhancements that refresh the game with a more approachable package without compromising what made the original great. The original version ofKilling Timewill also remain available to those who buyResurrectedon Steam and GOG. To those who want a completely “uncompromised” (unchanged) experience, that version can be accessed on modern PCs.
The upgrades to the visuals and controls are enhancements that refresh the game with a more approachable package without compromising what made the original great.
Are there any titles that you would love to see re-released for current consoles?
This is always a long and growing list for our team. What comes to mind to me personally would be theMystical Ninjagames, especially those on Nintendo 64. There are also so many games for SEGA Saturn and Dreamcast (some of which were not released in all the territories where the consoles were sold) which I’d love to see re-released for PC and modern platforms.
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Looking forward to the Past
How do you revitalize an older game for the new generation?
In many cases, simply making the original game accessible on modern platforms is significant. Beyond that, revitalizing a game could mean doing more with the IP through crossover “guest appearances,” a remake or a new game in the spirit or world of the original. SNKis an example of a company that has done all of the above in recent years: releasing historic titles in theSNK 40th Anniversary Collection, allowing Terry Bogard and other characters to appear as guests in other games, making a sequel toGarou: Mark of the Wolvesdecades after the original release.
What would you like the future of game preservation to look like?
I would love to see more direct involvement with the original development teams in new releases of old games. This could mean interviews or content created with them to promote the new release, but it could also mean bonuses included in the game itself. Such as audio commentary tracks and video interviews. For those interested in game preservation, it’s worth checking out the work being done byThe Video Game History Foundation.
Why is game preservation important right now in the industry?
In the age of live service games, there are games that hundreds of people pour years of their lives into creating, which (even when enjoyed by thousands of active players) can become unavailable to purchase or play overnight when the servers shut down. Even in less dramatic cases than this, games (or specific versions of games) can easily be lost to time due to changes in hardware, software or market forces. It’s easy to focus on games from the “bygone eras” of several console generations ago as the ones that become inaccessible (or only accessible to those ready to buy older hardware), but even still-supported consoles like PlayStation 4 have seen significant releases become inaccessible.P.T.is a hugely-influential horror game on PS4 that was never possible to purchase physically and can no longer be downloaded on PS4 or PS5.
In the age of live service games, there are games that hundreds of people pour years of their lives into creating, which (even when enjoyed by thousands of active players) can become unavailable to purchase or play overnight when the servers shut down
Preserving games is important not just for the sake of archiving such historical and cultural landmarks in the medium, but also for making the experiences and our memories of them available to revisit or share with others in the future.
Killing Time: Resurrected launches later this year on Steam, GOG, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
