The Internationale Computerspielesammlung (ICS), a German project that assembled the world's largest publicly accessible collection of video games, is shutting down after its public funding expired. The archive, which cataloged more than 60,000 titles across cartridge, floppy disk, CD, DVD and Blu-ray, lost its financial lifeline when the federal government declined to renew roughly €1.5 million in grants that ended in April. The decision, reported by GamesWirtschaft, comes as Sony confirmed it will end physical PlayStation disc production by 2028, further threatening the preservation of gaming history.

What You Need to Know

The ICS was a joint effort among the Berlin Senate, the federal government, the USK rating board, the Computerspielemuseum Berlin, the industry association Game and the University of Potsdam. Its online catalog launched in 2019 and contained tens of thousands of entries. The physical holdings remain with individual institutions, but the digital infrastructure's future is uncertain. A 2023 study by the Video Game History Foundation and Software Preservation Network found that 87% of classic games released in the U.S. are commercially unavailable.

The End of a Decade-Long Effort

The ICS was assembled since 2012 from the USK, the Computerspielemuseum Berlin, the industry association Game and the University of Potsdam. Its public online catalog launched in April 2019. Funding came from the Berlin Senate and the federal government's culture commissioner and ran only through late April. Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space examined a model for permanent funding but concluded it was not economically viable given the scale of the work. Berlin economics senator Franziska Giffey had cautioned earlier in the year that support beyond April was not guaranteed. The shareholders voted unanimously to shut down the project.

The physical holdings remain with the institutions that own them. The future of the shared database and its infrastructure is under legal and technical review, according to GamesWirtschaft.

Key Threats to Game Preservation

  • Funding Instability: Projects like the ICS rely on temporary public grants that can be terminated, leaving digital archives without a permanent home.
  • Copyright Restrictions: The U.S. Copyright Office has repeatedly denied DMCA exemptions that would allow libraries to share preserved games with remote researchers, siding with the Entertainment Software Association.
  • Rising Hardware Costs: Fan-run repositories like Myrient, which held more than 385 TB of games, faced shutdown due to AI-driven increases in RAM, SSD and hard drive prices before volunteers backed up the collection.
  • Physical Media Decline: Sony's decision to end physical PlayStation disc production in 2028 will make preserving modern games more difficult, as digital-only releases are more vulnerable to platform closures.

Why This Matters

The collapse of the ICS removes a centralized, publicly funded resource for game preservation at a moment when the challenges are mounting. Without such archives, a significant portion of gaming history may become inaccessible. The Video Game History Foundation and Software Preservation Network study highlighted that 87% of classic games are out of print and commercially unavailable, a survival rate worse than for American silent films. Meanwhile, Sony's move to end physical media means that games released from 2028 onward may only exist as digital files subject to server shutdowns or licensing expiration. The ICS shutdown shows that even well-organized preservation efforts remain fragile without sustained institutional commitment and legal support for archiving.