Speaking to Time Extension recently, GOG's senior business development manager, Marcin Paczyński, has stated that the company intends to preserve at least 500 classic PC games by the end of 2025, as part of its new preservation program. This will apparently include "a few very iconic and long-requested games".
Following the reveal of the preservation program last month, we reached out to the company to find out more information about the program. In particular, we wanted to know how exactly this commitment to preserving classic PC games was different from what GOG had already been doing over the last couple of decades and to take a closer look at the selection process for the titles that would be included as part of the new program.
Fortunately, for us, Marcin Paczyński was available to answer our questions, providing some fresh insights into the newly announced initiative.
When it came to the topic of why GOG decided to launch the initiative and how it is distinct from previous commitments, Paczyński told us, "The difference with the GOG Preservation Program is that it’s not just about making games playable — it’s about actively preserving them for the long term, even when publishers or developers are no longer supporting them.
"This program is built on over a decade of experience in game preservation, and it’s our formal commitment to continue updating and maintaining games that are no longer supported elsewhere. We’re also listening to the community, making active changes based on their feedback, and working systematically to expand the program."
He also went on to express some of GOG's hopes and expectations for the program, revealing that it plans to preserve "at least 500 games" by the end of 2025. According to Paczyński, GOG already has a list of a bunch of these titles, including "a few very iconic and long-requested games". Some of these were intended to join the program back in November but had to be held back from the initial batch, as they needed some additional fixes before they could be added to the program.
As for how the rest of the titles will be decided, Paczyński states that they will apparently be selected based on a bunch of criteria, including "historical importance", "fan demand", and whether a game is known to have pre-existing issues or compatibility problems with Windows 10 or 11. Some developers have even reached out to GOG directly in the aftermath of last month's announcement, offering their own games to become part of the program, though GOG was unsurprisingly unwilling to reveal who these companies were at this moment in time.