Sony is building a game preservation team for PlayStation

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Sony is reportedly building a game preservation team. The division likely comes off the heels of the new upcoming PlayStation Plus platform, though exact details on the team are sparse.

Garrett Fredley, a former build engineer for mobile developer Kabam, is joining Sony for its game preservation team. In a Twitter post first spotted by Video Games Chronicle, Fredley announced the role.

“Today is my first day as a Senior Build Engineer at @PlayStation,” the engineer wrote. He goes on to explain that he is one of the “initial hires for the newly created Preservation team.”

Fredley later followed up with a video from GDC 2019 in which he discusses game preservation and the work he did with EA. He also states that his “work is similar, although larger in scope.”

As expected, Fredley didn’t reveal exactly what this new team is working on. However, as the division’s title suggests, it likely ties back to preservation. Sony hasn’t always been a pioneer for game preservation in the past. While classic PlayStation games are available through PlayStation Now, more support is always welcomed.

In the near future, Sony’s revamped PlayStation Plus subscription service will offer new tiers. These include perks such as access to classic PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP titles. While many supported games (which are largely unannounced) will be downloadable, PS3 games are only available to stream.

Last summer, Sony shuttered the PSP storefront and initially aimed to close the PS3 and Vita marketplace. However, due to the reception of the community, those plans were put on ice.

The narrative surrounding Sony and game presentation has slowly shifted over the past few years. Back in 2017, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan made a comment regarding older Gran Turismo titles on previous PlayStation consoles. “The PS1 and the PS2 games, they looked ancient, like why would anybody play this?” Ryan has since clarified that the quote was in respect to making contemporary games feel modern. However, the messaging turned the heads of those hoping Sony would take game preservation more seriously.

The extent of game preservation greatly differs between different console manufacturers. For example, Microsoft offers extensive backwards compatibility across all generations, including the original Xbox, and game preservation has been a focal point for the company for many years. Nintendo, on the other hand, only offers select titles from NES, SNES, and N64 as a part of the Nintendo Switch Online service.

Image credit: PlayStation

Via: Engadget