GOG is bringing back the “big box” PC game, one printable template at a time. The platform has added a “Printable Big Box” collection with downloadable 3D models and foldable packaging scans for five PC titles. It is a move aimed at players who remember the days before Steam, when games came in big box packaging that filled store shelves.
The collection covers Armikrog, Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, Myst, and Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. Buyers browsing those games on the GOG store will see “3D Boxes” listed among the included “Goodies” before purchase. Owners of those games can download a ZIP file with the box art as an animated 3D object in GLB format and a flat printable template in PDF, SVG, and Adobe Illustrator formats.
What the ZIP File Holds
The ZIP file gives players two ways to engage with the old packaging. The GLB file lets them view the box art as a 3D object on a screen. The printable template, offered in three formats, is the practical route to a physical result.
The formats are PDF, SVG, and Adobe Illustrator. GOG does not describe how each is meant to be used. The company calls the result “a proper papercraft project for anyone who misses shelves full of PC game boxes.”
Why GOG Made This
The company frames the project as preservation. “Physical media doesn’t survive the way software can—boxes get lost, crushed, thrown out,” GOG writes in today’s announcement. “Scanning them, and letting you print your own, is preservation in a different shape: the same mission that keeps these games running on modern PCs, applied to the objects they used to come in.”
That mission is central to the announcement. The project extends the work of keeping games playable to the packaging itself. Instead of letting original boxes decay, the company offers a digital record anyone can print.
The Five Games Chosen
The selection includes five titles. GOG has not provided details about the original physical boxes beyond their existence. The source speaks generally of “shelf eye candy” and sought-after collectibles, but says nothing about the design of these specific boxes.
The collection’s appeal rests on the memory of that packaging, not on a catalog of its features.
How the Templates Work
The process is simple for anyone with a printer. A player downloads the ZIP file from their GOG library. Inside, they find the GLB file for digital viewing and the template files for physical assembly.
The PDF, SVG, and Adobe Illustrator files are all offered as download options. The final result depends on the builder’s care with folds and cuts.
A Small Start
Five games is a limited beginning. The collection covers a narrow slice of PC history, and many beloved big box titles are absent. GOG has not announced which games might join the collection next.
The company’s announcement focuses on the launch, not a plan for the future.
Who Gets the Files
The collection serves two groups. The first is the player who wants a physical object to display. The second is the person who values a digital record of the original packaging.
Both get what they want from the same ZIP file. The template offers a project with a tangible result. The GLB file and scans ensure the art survives even if every physical copy is lost.
What Players Should Do Now
Players who own any of the five titles can check their GOG library for the new “3D Boxes” Goodies. Those who do not own the games can buy them and get the files with the purchase.
| Game | Format |
|---|---|
| Armikrog | 3D Boxes + Template |
| Descent | 3D Boxes + Template |
| Hitman: Codename 47 | 3D Boxes + Template |
| Myst | 3D Boxes + Template |
| Star Trek: 25th Anniversary | 3D Boxes + Template |
A Box on Your Own Shelf
The big box PC game is not returning to retail stores. But it can return to a home shelf, printed and folded by the person who remembers it. GOG has turned a memory into a download, and a download into a papercraft object.
That is the quiet appeal of the project. It does not try to recreate the full retail experience of the past. It offers a smaller, personal version, one that fits in a home printer and a few hours of careful work. The box returns, but on the player’s own terms.
Source: arstechnica.com
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