When I was around 12 or 13 years old, I had a trifecta of PS2 video games I was obsessed with. Among them were Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts, two excellent Square Soft JRPGs that I just couldn’t get enough of. About a decade later, both games got remastered for modern consoles, allowing me to relive my childhood memories of climbing Mt. Gagazet and dying to Seymour Mortis for the umpteenth time.
There was, however, another game in that trifecta that has seemingly been lost to time. Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and published by Midway Games. This one didn’t generate as much buzz as the Square Soft JRPGs, but its violent, dark fantasy story gripped me from the start, and it hasn’t let go since. Sadly, Shadow Hearts never got popular enough to penetrate the mainstream audience. In 2009 and 2010 respectively, Sacnoth and Midway Games were defunct, and I honestly couldn’t tell you who owns the rights to the Shadow Hearts IP today. If anyone even does.
Shadow Hearts isn’t the only victim of poor video game preservation. There are hundreds of older games out there that will likely never see a modern release. Despite how bleak and tragic that sounds, though, Rock It Games CEO Michael Devine has made it his mission to breathe new life into as many of these old games as possible.
Like me, and many other video game enthusiasts out there, Devine first found himself enamored with the medium at a young age. “The original Legend of Zelda and the NES as a whole had a big effect on me,” Devine says. “Playing a game with that level of depth and detail was a thrilling experience and got me thinking about the game industry as a career, not just a passion.”
13 years after The Legend of Zelda, another game stuck out to Devine as a defining tile for him: Heroes of Might and Magic III. At that time, Devine had already been working at The 3DO Company (Heroes of Might and Magic III‘s publisher), and it served as another major push factor for him to found Rock It Games.
What Is Rock It Games?
Rock It Games was founded in 2023, and it has a focus on retro and indie titles. The company’s core philosophy is simple: work with developers in a collaborative approach, and preserve games by offering physical editions alongside digital releases.
After all, digital licenses expire, but physical media becomes a legacy.
I had the opportunity to chat with CEO Michael Devine about the company’s mission, and I was curious how Rock It Games picks and chooses its projects while balancing nostalgia with innovation. Devine tells me that the company “looks for games that truly stand the test of time and are still fantastic and just as fun to play today as they were at launch.”
“It’s all about strong game balance and compelling narratives,” Devine says. “If you tell a great story, gamers will come. Indie developers often work with smaller teams and tighter budgets, and they tend to bring an incredible level of passion to their projects. That aligns very well with the expectations of the typical retro gamer, as they appreciate authenticity just as much as polished gameplay.”
Devine goes on to say that when founding Rock It Games, he had deliberately chosen not to make it a developing studio. The goal here is to be a platform for developers so that their games can shine.
Rock It Games and Video Game Preservation
The company has a strong focus on physical releases. When asked about the reasoning behind this, Devine explained that he wanted to cater to collectors and retro fans who still wanted to be able to touch and actually own their games.
“The physical and collector markets are definitely evolving. Digital is the primary way today’s gamers consume products,” Devine explains. “Nintendo Switch players, in particular, want access to physical games right now. The Switch 2, having a game cart slot and being backwards compatible, will help keep physical media relevant for the foreseeable future.”
It’s worth noting, too, that while the Switch 2 does indeed still support physical cartridges, it’s also leaning more towards the digital side of things. Some titles have physical game carts, but may still force you to download the game digitally once you insert it into your Switch 2.
Devine certainly recognizes the prevalence of digital media in today’s gaming landscape, and also mentioned that Rock It Games is adding more digital titles to their catalog. The company would then use digital sales as a gauge in some cases when deciding which titles to move to a physical release.
How Did Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded Come About?
Bases Loaded is a baseball game that released for the NES in Japan in 1987, before coming to North America a year later. It was lauded for its excellent graphics and animations (for the time), though critics said it could be difficult to discern the position of the baseball and actually hit it.
Still, Bases Loaded struck a chord with baseball fans in the 80s. It was often compared with its direct competitor R.B.I. Baseball, but both games were known as the go-to baseball video games to play at the time.
Working with Sickhead Games, Rock It brought Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded back as a revival of the retro classic title. It retains much of its original charm, but with modern flourishes like leaderboards, CRT modes, and a modern save system.
“The key for us with Bases Loaded was to deliver the original gameplay experience just as the player would have had in the 80s,” Devine tells me. “Since we put both the complete NES and SNES versions in the game, players have many choices on how they want to play and what features are most important to them.” Devine also says they’re not quite done with the franchise just yet, and there are more surprises to come before Rock It Games starts working on the PS5 and Switch versions.
In addition to that, the company is planning on launching at least four more two-game collections under the Jaleco Sports banner this year, so there’s plenty more to look forward to.
While Bases Loaded got its happy ending and is indeed enjoying its second time out in the sun, part of me still thinks about the more unfortunate games that may never surface again. Devine acknowledges that while there’s been consistent interest in games from the retro era, he agrees that potential issues often stem from “IP rights and tracking ownership.”
In most cases, when you’re able to track down the IP rights to a game, publishing it as a modern re-release often just comes down to development costs, forecasts, and demand. In the fringe cases —like my beloved Shadow Hearts— Devine says it’s possible that those games have simply changed ownership numerous times, or that the original contracts have disappeared altogether. “Sometimes the legalities can be resolved, at a cost of time at money,” Devine says. Other times, we may not be so lucky.
In an age where digital media has become so prevalent, it’s easy to lose sight of how important video game preservation really is. In the end, the fate of video games as a medium rests not just in technology, but in our collective will to remember, protect, and celebrate the full scope of its history.
Well written👍
Keep up with your dream! Fighting!