The videogame industry hasn’t always prioritized preserving its history, but this is changing thanks to independent organizations like the Video Game History Foundation (VGHF). Later this month, the VGHF will unveil its new digital library.

Posting on BlueSky, the VGHF announced that the launch is scheduled for January 30th, stating, “Good things come to those who wait!” They confirmed that detailed information will follow at the launch.

The digital library will feature:

• Never-before-seen game development materials
• Artwork, press kits, and promotional materials from iconic video games
• Access to 1,500 out-of-print videogame magazines dating back to the early 1980s, including content from the recently closed Game Informer, which was the longest-running gaming magazine in the US until its shutdown by Gamestop last year.

Frank Cifaldi, the organization’s founder, also demonstrated the library’s capabilities in a recent Bluesky thread. The library will be fully text-searchable and organized chronologically, allowing users to filter magazines by region, platform, publisher, and more. For example, a user could search for “every videogame magazine in our collection in chronological order that says ‘Metroidvania.’”

Founded in 2017, the VGHF works on multiple projects aimed at safeguarding the legacy of video games, including the preservation of videogame source code and a physical library that dates back even further than its digital counterpart. In a 2023 survey, the VGHF found that just 13% of videogame history is represented in the current marketplace, leaving the remaining 87% inaccessible without resorting to piracy or visits to an archive. Last year, they also proposed changes to DMCA regulations to allow libraries to share ‘out of print’ videogames, a request that was denied by the US Copyright Office.