Video Game History Foundation director Frank Cifaldi has warned that piracy may become the only practical preservation option if the games industry keeps moving toward a digital-only future.
The comments came after PlayStation announced it will stop producing physical discs for new games in 2028, alongside plans to close older PlayStation digital storefronts. The shift will apply to new PlayStation releases starting in January 2028.
Cifaldi is the founder and director of the Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on preserving video game history through physical archives and digital libraries. In recent years, the VGHF has expressed concern for game availability.
In 2023, the foundation published a study claiming that 87% of classic video games are not currently in active release and are “critically endangered,” arguing that libraries and archives face major legal barriers to sharing preserved games for research.
Statement from VGHF director Frank Cifaldi on the discontinuation of physical PlayStation media, and the closure of the PS3 and PSP digital storefronts.
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Preservation group says discs alone are not enough
In a statement posted on Bluesky, the VGHF said the loss of physical PlayStation media is “unfortunate news” for people who still prefer buying games physically, as well as for consumer rights, the resale market, and creators whose businesses rely on physical releases.
However, the foundation argued that physical discs are no longer a complete preservation solution on their own. “The reality is that 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.”
It added that even games released on disc often rely on day-one digital patches, meaning the data preserved on the disc may not reflect the version players actually experienced.
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The foundation said museums and archives have been preparing for this shift, but called on the Entertainment Software Association to offer a better legal path for preserving digital-only content.
“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.”
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.
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Cifaldi later quote-posted a user who argued that piracy is currently “the only extant form of media preservation” in games. He agreed, 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.”
He also pushed back on the idea that copyright deposits with the Library of Congress would solve the problem, saying very few video game companies register their work that way and that the process has not historically required a full physical copy of a game.
