From my previous post I talked about Piko Interactive and how they essentially worked like old game IP Necromancers, bringing them back from death and obscurity to port them onto PC usually with a couple upgrades in tow. The idea was interesting and while I didn’t speak too much about the pros and cons of such a system I thought it might be good to touch upon it here.
As a pro of course seeing an old game you loved being brought back to PC and usually with better graphical or quality of life upgrades will of course bring a smile to anyone’s face. Hell I imagine the Glover fans are absolutely ecstatic right now. It also brings about newfound interest in the IP which if it is big enough may even lead to future projects with the newly resurrected game series which is a fan’s biggest wet dream for thie scenario. Finally of course it’s also one of the best ways to legally get ahold of old game files again as the point to buying these old IP’s is due to the fact they aren’t commerically available anymore making them a prime candidate to root into the game files for and upload a legally purchasable ROM for people to get which if you’re a fan of such methods is great for you.
On the other hand, well, emulation exists. Whether you like it or not the fact that these are essentially just ROM files means that anyone with the know-how can just get ahold of an identical ROM and play it on their own emulator for free. Some of these even have additional features and the ability to play online, not to mention the amount of personalisation and control you can have over how you play games on an emulator. Sure many of these endeavours aren’t the most legal things to do but consider that the original developers and publishers of these games are (in most cases) gone now so nobody is getting hurt by you downloading and playing these old games for free. The point of Piko Interactive’s business plan is to essentially be a rules lawyer, holding onto the IP and telling people that now they own the game and as such you owe them money. Sure it’s technically true but they didn’t put in any of the hard work or code into the game to make it what it is. Also this method of business seriously hurts the efforts of hard working modders who they frequently attempt to shut down and stop their attempts to make a better product or game for those who love the series.
It’s a tricky one and while I personally am more for the emulation side of things I can see how people may view the other side too. Still it’s an interesting practice nonetheless and I am curious to see if any other companies attempt to do the same thing. That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.