A new games publishing label aims to give physical games "the care they deserve".
Design studio Lost In Cult, known for their acclaimed art books celebrating the medium we all love, are now turning their hand to publishing games — thanks to a new dedicated physical label.
Dubbed 'EDITIONS', this new effort promises to offer a growing range of physical game releases, all "designed with the care they deserve", spotlighting both the games and the people behind them.
The first batch of titles under the label includes the following indie gems:
- Thank Goodness You're Here!
- Immortality
- The Excavation of Hob's Barrow
Lost in Cult's new EDITIONS effort is spearheaded by Ryan Brown, who previously worked at Super Rare Games. He joined Lost In Cult specifically to lead this new publishing venture. I spoke to Brown very briefly at Gamescom a few years back, and he hinted towards this project — so it's been a long time coming. From following him online over the years, I know he's got a deep and genuine passion for discovering unique games and shining a light on them. As such, I imagine the releases we see from Lost in Cult are going to be more killer than filler.
"I can unashamedly say we set out to create a new standard for physical games." — Ryan Brown, Lost in Cult
The Lost in Cult team noted how they're taking a curatorial approach to what games actually get the EDITIONS treatment, stating that every game made available is one that the team "truly love" and is one they "believe has pushed the medium of video games as an art form forward in some way".
Each game released under the EDITIONS label will come with original artwork, slipcase, the game itself, and a 40-page booklet edited by former Edge editor Chris Schilling. These booklets will feature interviews, and essays on each game's creation — a lovely touch for those who miss having a manual to flick through.
At launch, certain EDITIONS releases will be available on PS5 and Switch, with Nintendo Switch 2 releases also said to be on the cards.
Over the past decade we've seen a depressing combination of the decline in physical retail stores, and a rise in largely pointless 'code in box' releases. With the Switch 2 and Game Key Cards we're going to see a lot more of it. So yeah, I really appreciate what Lost in Cult are trying to do here.
EDITIONS look to be a tasteful attempt at keeping physical games media alive — not too dissimilar to what the Criterion Collection does for film.
The first trio of EDITIONS releases are up for order now, priced at £59.
