It's perhaps hard for anyone raised in an era when digital downloads are king to imagine a time when video game packaging was anything other than an afterthought for many publishers.
Back in the 1990s, when physical PC games were still a thing, it wasn't unusual to see a wall of massive cardboard boxes in your local store—some of which promised novel-sized manuals, cloth maps and other related goodies.
Hock Wah Yeo was arguably the king of this particular art form. Not content to simply produce a standard box, he worked with publishers to produce some of the most amazing packaging the games industry has ever witnessed. His crowning glory (no pun intended) is the North American box for Prince of Persia, but he also created packaging for Ultrabots which actually transforms.
Now, British publisher Read-Only Memory has teamed up with Yeo for Videogame Box Works, a new book which showcases his amazing talent and legacy.
Originally released in the US in 2021 in super-limited numbers, this new and updated version is available to pre-order via a crowdfunding campaign, which offers a 26cm tall Hock Wah Yeo die-cut box artwork as a reward for top-tier backers.
Here's some PR:
In an age where digital distribution reigns supreme, the tactile beauty of physical game packaging has all but vanished. Gone are the days when publishers were simultaneously battling for shelf space and consumer’s attention with brightly coloured boxes, additional paper paraphernalia and gigantic marketing posters showcasing the blockbuster hits of the eighties and nineties. Every game on the shelves was designed to shout at passers-by, but perhaps the loudest voices came from the unusually shaped, yet ingenious boxes created by Hock Wah Yeo.
Videogame Box Works is a tribute to the extraordinary craftsmanship behind Hock Wah Yeo's meticulously engineered game boxes and a redesigned and expanded hardback edition of Colpa Press’s ultra-short run 2021 publication. This new tome delves into why Yeo’s boxes were prized artefacts of collectors around the world, but the bane of shelf stockists for over a decade and chronicles his remarkable contributions to the gaming industry between the years of 1988 and 1997, showcasing his innovative designs that added a veil of wonder to games before you even removed the packaging. Each inventive box featured within the pages has brand new commentary from Yeo, explaining the creative process behind his unique constructions.
Hock Wah Yeo’s work in paper engineering is a rare blend of art and mechanics, turning ordinary boxes into experiences that replicated the interactivity of videogames. His legacy is a testament to the playful, inventive period of the latter decades of last century, where every detail had an impact on a game’s success. This book serves not just as a celebration of Yeo’s artistry but also as a nostalgic glimpse into a forgotten time when game packaging was discussed, desired and revered.
The £35 "Early Bird" edition has sold out already, but you can pick up the standard version for £40. There's also a signed version for £60 and an £85 variant, which includes the aforementioned die-cut box artwork.