GOG is adding printable big boxes to its Preservation Program

GOG has updated its Preservation Program to include interactive 3D scans and printable flat layouts of classic PC big boxes. The September 8 update brings five games into this physical archiving initiative. GOG added Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Armikrog to the program this week, and they join existing entries Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, and Myst in receiving the new packaging files.

The digital storefront partnered with Big Box Collection, an archiving project run by Benjamin Wimmer since 2015. Wimmer scans original retail packaging and converts it into 3D models. Buyers can download the resulting GLB files and open them directly in the default 3D viewers built into Windows and macOS. You can spin the box around on your screen to read the system requirements and look at the promotional screenshots.

You probably need more printer ink

Gog now allows you to print your own big box artwork for your PC games. The provided files include flat papercraft templates designed for home printing. You just cut, fold, and glue them together. This is in addition to allowing you to create your own physical media. Because the storefront provides DRM-free offline installers, you can burn the game to a disc, put it in your newly constructed cardboard box, and put it on a shelf. I love Gog!

During the 1980s and 1990s, PC releases relied heavily on elaborate packaging. Publishers used the oversized boxes to hold thick printed manuals, cloth maps, and physical copy protection wheels. These items provided contextual immersion before you even launched the executable. Finding a pristine copy of a 30-year-old game box is difficult and expensive today, as cardboard gets crushed, lost, or thrown away. Wimmer has spent nearly a decade documenting these artifacts before they degrade completely.

The five launch titles

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary originally launched in 1992. Interplay Productions built a point-and-click adventure that doubled as a starship bridge simulator, and the CD-ROM version featured full voice acting from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and the rest of the original television cast. Armikrog arrived much later in 2015. Doug TenNapel and Pencil Test Studios built it as a stop-motion claymation spiritual successor to 1996's The Neverhood.

The other three games in this wave are PC staples. Descent (1995) defined six-degrees-of-freedom shooting. Myst (1993) sold millions of CD-ROM drives by trapping players on a pre-rendered island. Hitman: Codename 47 (2000) established the stealth mechanics IO Interactive is still using today. All five now have their original packaging preserved.

Software and cardboard

GOG launched the Preservation Program in November 2024 to address software rot. The Video Game History Foundation previously reported that nearly 87 percent of classic games released before 2010 are unavailable or non-functional on modern platforms. GOG assigns its preservation stamp to games that its engineers have tested, patched, and committed to keeping compatible with modern operating systems and hardware architectures.

By digitizing the packaging alongside the code, the preservation effort covers the entire object. It's a practical solution for a medium that is losing its physical history.

Armikrog is available on Humble Bundle for $2.49 (75% off).

Some links in this article are affiliate links. Purchases made through them help support Pants Pants Revolution at no extra cost to you.