Square Enix has dropped a bombshell that worries players: it will not keep all its titles playable indefinitely. Instead, it will offer alternatives such as uploading scenes to YouTube so fans can relive key moments after server shutdowns. The news comes at a critical time, as franchises like Kingdom Hearts already have installments that are impossible to run on modern hardware. This makes it clear that access to the video games we purchase can disappear without warning.
Digital Preservation: An Unresolved Technical Problem 🛠️
From a technical standpoint, video game preservation faces several obstacles. Titles depend on proprietary servers, online DRM, and closed platforms that, when support ends, leave the software inaccessible. Square Enix proposes recording videos as a solution, but this does not replace the interactive experience or the original code. The technical community points out that without functional physical copies or authorized emulation, games remain trapped in a digital limbo. Demanding open formats and continued support is the only way to avoid irreparable losses.
Like the Memory: Your Game, Now on YouTube 😅
So, according to Square Enix, when your favorite game dies, you can console yourself by watching a video of its best moments on YouTube. What a relief: paying 70 euros for a title only to end up watching a game movie with shampoo ads. Soon they'll probably sell us the soundtrack on Spotify and the manual in PDF as the definitive edition. Meanwhile, collectors polish their Game Boy cartridges, which still work without asking for an update or a cloud connection. Ironies of fate.