Preservationist: Piracy May Be Only Way to Save Games as PS3, Vita Stores Close

A leading voice in video game preservation says piracy might soon be the only realistic way to keep old titles alive, as Sony moves to shut down digital storefronts for the PS3 and PS Vita. According to Dexerto, Frank Cifaldi, founder and director of the Video Game History Foundation, raised the warning shortly after PlayStation confirmed it will end physical disc production for new games starting in January 2028.

The announcement affects both the future of new PlayStation releases and access to older ones. As Dexerto reports, Sony’s plan to retire legacy PlayStation digital storefronts alongside the shift away from discs has alarmed archivists who already struggle to keep decades-old games playable and accessible.

Preservation group says discs were never the full answer

In a statement shared on Bluesky and cited by Dexerto, the Video Game History Foundation called the loss of physical PlayStation media “unfortunate news” for players who prefer physical copies, for the resale market, and for consumer rights more broadly. The organization also noted the impact on creators whose businesses depend on physical releases.

Even so, the foundation argued that discs alone were never a complete preservation strategy. Per its statement, “the vast majority of video games produced over the last two decades were not made for dedicated home video game consoles, let alone pressed to physical media.” The group also pointed out that many disc releases rely on day-one digital patches, meaning the version stored on a disc frequently does not match what players actually experienced at launch.

Cifaldi says the industry has blocked a legal path forward

The Video Game History Foundation has previously sounded the alarm on availability, publishing a 2023 study that found 87% of classic video games are no longer in active release, describing them as “critically endangered.” According to Dexerto, the foundation says legal and copyright barriers continue to make it difficult for libraries, museums, and archives to legitimately preserve and share these games for research purposes.

In its statement, the foundation directly called out the Entertainment Software Association, saying, “Everyone agrees this is a serious problem, but the ESA has repeatedly opposed the efforts of cultural heritage institutions to reform digital copy protection laws to make it easier to do this work.”

Cifaldi went further when responding to a user on Bluesky who claimed piracy is currently “the only extant form of media preservation” in gaming. He agreed with the assessment, writing, “As the director of a historical video game preservation institution, and someone who has dedicated his entire adult life to this cause, this is accurate. We have attempted to work with the industry’s trade organization to find a legal path forward, but they refuse to offer a meaningful alternative.”

Copyright deposits won’t fix the problem, Cifaldi argues

Cifaldi also dismissed the idea that copyright deposits filed with the Library of Congress could serve as an adequate safety net for lost or delisted games. As Dexerto notes, he pointed out that very few video game companies actually register their titles this way, and that the deposit process has not historically required submitting a full, playable copy of a game.

With museums and archives reportedly already preparing for a future without physical PlayStation media, Cifaldi’s comments highlight a growing tension between game publishers and preservationists over who is responsible for keeping gaming history accessible once official storefronts go dark.

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