Aussie Institutions Come Together To Preserve Untitled Goose Game

ACMI and Co. once again continue to slay when it comes to video game preservation and celebration.

Untitled Goose Game, a very good game about a very naughty goose, will be preserved for years to come thanks to a joint acquisition by ACMI, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) and the Powerhouse.

So what does this mean? Well, the joint acquisition of Untitled Goose Game ensures that it will be preserved for decades to come. By using the specialist skills and approaches of each collecting institution, the goose will join an already-vast collection of video games that define Australia’s important place in the video game industry.

The press release for this announcement states:

The acquisition includes the game’s creative development materials, documentation and earlier versions to illustrate how ideas for the game formed. Backed by the collective expertise of ACMI, NFSA and the Powerhouse across exhibition, collection, design and innovation, the acquisition ensures that as technologies, curatorial practices, and preservation methods change, Untitled Goose Game will remain a key part of Australia’s creative history.

It’s really good to know that Australia’s creative history will be led by a game where you, a goose, cause problems on purpose.

Michael McMaster, the co-director of House House (developer of Untitled Goose Game), had this to say about the acquisition:

“We at House House are humbled to see our work join the collections of ACMI, NFSA and the Powerhouse. As game developers the question of videogames’ longevity and fragility is important to us, so we were surprised and grateful when these institutions offered to collect Untitled Goose Game. We’re glad to know that it will not only be playable for years to come, but that an understanding of its development process and cultural context can also be preserved. It’s heartening to see our game join the rich histories of Australian media and design contained in these collections — we feel our goose is in very safe hands.”

This is yet another step in ACMI and VicScreen’s journey in uplifting and pushing the importance of Australia’s video games industry. You love to see it, folks.