Square Enix, Capcom, Taito, and Sega Advance Video Game Preservation Efforts

In a significant move for video game preservation, prominent Japanese developers Square Enix, Capcom, Taito, and Sega have each announced fresh initiatives dedicated to archiving and safeguarding materials from their rich development histories.

These revelations came to broader attention following resurfaced coverage of a SIGGRAPH Asia panel discussion held in December 2023.

Though the event occurred several months ago, social media interest—spurred by industry veteran KevEdwardsRetro—has propelled the topic back into the industry spotlight, leading to increased coverage in international outlets like GamesIndustry.Biz. Entitled “The Cutting Edge of Preservation,” the panel featured expert representatives from each company: Youichiro Miyake (Square Enix lead AI researcher), Yasuyuki Makino (Capcom digital content archive producer), Yosuke Okunari (Sega producer), and Yuichi Toyama (Taito producer).

Each discussed their company's approach to preserving invaluable assets such as artwork, development materials, and legacy game data. Square Enix’s efforts are spearheaded by the SAVE project, an initiative that began in Spring 2020, as detailed by Miyake.

He explained how the SAVE team began systematically preserving the company's extensive archives, which include not only digital assets but also physical materials vital to gaming history.

Miyake noted that data from these archival efforts has already been presented at industry events—including SIGGRAPH Asia in 2021—and emphasized that these presentations aim to highlight the importance of preservation and inspire similar projects across the gaming sector. Capcom is focusing on its internal Capcom Illustrations Archive System.

According to Makino, this system is currently securing and digitizing promotional materials—such as key art, logos, and character illustrations—with the goal of streamlining licensing through a new publicly accessible database.

Makino outlined the technical process involving scanning and retouching assets, and shared that this initiative has supported bonus features in Capcom Arcade Stadium, the Capcom Town 40th-anniversary website, and public exhibitions.

While the current focus remains on visuals, Capcom plans to expand into commercials, ROMs, background music, and key design documents in the near future. Taito’s archival work is distributed across multiple locations, each housing unique items such as design specifications, arcade boards, EP-ROMs, microfilms, manuals, and printed documents.

Toyama discussed how these efforts have enabled the company to create authentic experiences for events like the "70th Anniversary Retro Arcade Cabinet and Amusement Machines Exhibition" and to develop commercial products, including the Darius Cozmic Collection, Egret II Mini, and Taito Milestones 3.

Much of this preserved material also features in Hamster Corp’s Arcade Archives live stream series. Of the companies featured, Sega has been the slowest to launch a dedicated preservation project, with formal efforts only beginning in 2023.

Okunari explained that Sega’s initiative targets four main areas: arcade hardware and housing, game data, written proposals and development documents, and original illustrations.

Some assets have already been utilized, appearing most notably in contemporary titles like the Like a Dragon series, which includes famous Sega arcade games as in-game content. The gaming industry has long struggled with the systematic preservation of its creative and technical history.

These newly energized efforts by Square Enix, Capcom, Taito, and Sega signal a promising shift, ensuring that core parts of the industry’s legacy—from the Nintendo Switch era through arcade golden ages—are safeguarded for future generations of developers, historians, and fans alike.

Capcom Square Enix Sega Taito Enix Square