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0 Anyone who knows me knows I live for physical video games. The ever advancing shift towards an all-digital future concerns me due to issues around access and preservation. Today (at the time of writing), however, brings news of a new venture that aims to fight back against the download-code-on-a-cartridge and digital-only landscape of the industry. Lost In Cult, who have a long, storied history of producing beautiful media-accompaniments to video games, including vinyl records, cassettes, and books, are now turning their hand to physical game publishing.
Let’s Get Physical
The Lost In Cult publishing label launches today, 20th May, with 3 physical game announcements; Thank Goodness You’re Here (PS5/Nintendo Switch), Immortality (PS5), and The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow (Nintendo Switch). Each game will be available in 2 different versions, a standard retail release to ensure accessibility, and an EDITIONS variant — a higher quality, collector’s edition bundled with additional goodies. I’m particularly excited about these EDITIONS releases as they look absolutely stunning, and I’m a sucker for physical indie games.
In my opinion, one of the strongest selling points for Lost In Cult‘s offerings, over existing physical edition publishers, is their collaboration with DoesItPlay?.
DoesItPlay? is an international community focused on preservation and longevity of games and gaming. They test video games and respective hardware entirely offline to determine whether they will still be playable once log-in or patching servers are taken offline in the future. These Lost In Cult physical releases come with the DoesItPlay? Approved badge, meaning the content on the disc is complete and entirely independent of an internet connection. No patching or updates required.
Ryan Brown, Head of Publishing at Lost In Cult says “We’re being bold. I can unashamedly say we set out to create a new standard for physical games. And this is a multi-faceted mission. Our EDITIONS are designed to preserve not just the game, but the story and artistry behind its creation. At the same time, our retail releases ensure no one is locked out of owning great games physically, giving everyone a chance to play their favourites for the decades to come, internet connection willing or not.”
What’s In The Box?
In the image below, we can better see the additional contents included with the EDITIONS version of each game.
The care that has gone into the curation and production of these additional items is immediately apparent. Price dependant, these are going to be wonderful inclusions in collectors’ libraries. Here’s a list of the expected contents for EDITIONS releases:
- Exclusive outer slipcase with original commissioned artwork.
- Variant cover for the retail case inside.
- Developer signature card and a set of art cards.
- Fold-out poster and collector’s checklist.
- Custom sticker.
- A prestige booklet edited by acclaimed Edge Magazine alum Chris Schilling, including developer interviews and analytical essays.
- All-new artwork across packaging and even the mailer box — with three designs rotated seasonally.
New games are expected to be available on a monthly basis. Retail versions will be stocked both online and in brick-and-mortar stores, while EDITIONS will be exclusive to the Lost In Cult website and limited to 1000–5000 units. Be sure to visit lostincult.co.uk for more information.
As someone who continues to refuse an all-digital future, I know the PS5 bundle is going straight in my basket!
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