Hamster, the company behind the record-breaking Arcade Archive series, has issued an appeal to rights holders who might be sitting on classic titles which are currently unavailable on modern-day platforms.
The Japanese company has a section on its site devoted to intellectual property and has stated that it is happy to consider both arcade and home console games – hinting that the firm is planning to expand beyond its Arcade Archives range (thanks, Famitsu).
"If you own the rights to your games, please let us release your games," says the statement before adding:
Not only arcade games, but also games for home game consoles are fine.
We believe that it is very important to pass on the 'games we loved to play as children' to people all over the world to future generations, and to create an environment where anyone can play them easily at any time. Everyone has different memories of games.
We aim to release as many titles as possible so that you can meet and play the nostalgic memories you played back then and the games that you remember.
You can license the rights to the game or purchase the rights to the game. Hamster has signed license agreements with many game makers, and has purchased the rights of many game makers and inherited them. We will listen to your requests and make better suggestions.
We would like to port and release as many games as possible.
The Arcade Archives range consists of over 400 games and has now been running for eleven years. President and CEO Satoshi Hamada recently said:
"Happy New Year! This is Arcade Archives’ 11th year. We couldn’t have come this far without the continuous support of our users and everyone involved. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you. In this 11th year, we will be taking on many new challenges. We aim to make it a year that is full of surprises and joy for you all! We look forward to your continued support this year."