In the wake of Myrient, one of the largest video game preservation projects around, announcing its shutdown, effective March 31, hordes of gamers are flocking to the site to try and archive an extensive collection of ROMs, Betas and BIOS files before the site goes dark. The files encompass essentially every console known, from the obscure Bandai Pippin to the iconic library of the PlayStation 2.
Much of it is for personal use. However, a large contingent of gamers are attempting to secure every file possible so that they can continue to be re-shared long after the site shuts down.
Their efforts have spawned a new sub on Reddit, r/SaveMyrient, where an entire spreadsheet has been organized in which individual users have signed up to back up specific parts of Myrient’s library. Those backups are then being shared on the Internet Archive.
A separate website, Minerva Archive, has also been established. The end goal is to have the entirety of Myrient archived, and, per the site, hundreds of volunteers are actively at work.
“Myrient is shutting down. Minerva is a volunteer-driven effort to archive its entire collection before it goes offline. Run a script, share your bandwidth, help preserve the archive,” the site’s header reads.
As it stands, a little over 109,000 files have been archived, representing 216.82GB of data. That, however, makes up just 3.8 percent of what Myrient has to offer as there are millions of files to ultimately preserve.
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Once the files go in, it’s hard to get them back out.
Naturally, as thousands try and nab every file they can, download speeds on Myrient have been hit very hard. Elsewhere, users are attempting to contact the site’s owner to try and devise a financial plan to keep the site afloat, even if it’s temporary.
“I’d be willing to donate more than $1 a month if that can keep the site alive. I’d like to hear the owner’s thoughts on this,” one user wrote in response to a thread attempting to support the site financially.
Why Is Myrient Shutting Down In The First Place?
In a massive blow to long-term game preservation efforts, Myrient’s owner announced that the site would shut down on March 31. It was a surprising announcement, but one that didn’t come easy, according to a message shared on Discord.
In a sweeping letter, its owner revealed the extreme financial costs needed to keep an effort like Myrient alive on a monthly basis, roughly $6,000 that is being paid out of pocket due to a lack of donations. That, coupled with an influx of download managers and software that have bypassed donation pages, download limits have put the owner at their mental and financial breaking point.
Finally, in another instance of the AI boom impacting things, the owner explained how necessary upgrades to storage and caching infrastructure are simply impossible. Not only are they reportedly paying $6,000 out of pocket monthly, but the required hardware has jumped in price to the point of being unaffordable.
“In short, I can no longer afford to run the site,” they wrote.
With the countdown clock on, people are trying to pick up the pieces, hoping that their efforts can lead to preservation of something historic.
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