GOG revives golden age of big box PC games

GOG is reviving the distinctive "big box" era of classic PC game packaging, but there is an important catch: the company is not producing physical boxes. Instead, it provides downloadable 3D models and high-resolution templates that users can recreate themselves. To this end, GOG is working together with Benjamin Wimmer, whose Big Box Collection website has amassed over a thousand 3D scans of vintage PC game boxes.

3D models for five games are already available: Armikrog, Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, Myst and Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. Owners can access rotating 3D versions of the boxes and downloadable templates in formats including PDF, SVG and Adobe Illustrator. The files for the printable boxes can be accessed in the "Goodies" section, provided that the relevant game has already been purchased. GOG frames the project as an extension of its Preservation Program, arguing that physical packaging is vulnerable to being lost or damaged at a time when console makers are scaling back on physical releases.

Interested readers should note, however, that home printers cannot replicate the finish and construction of commercially manufactured packaging. This means that users must have the appropriate printer and paper/card, and carry out the assembly work themselves. Still, the collaboration gives collectors access to historically accurate box designs that can otherwise be difficult or expensive to find.