Interplay and InXile founder Brian Fargo has donated a sizable collection of documents and design materials from his days at Interplay to The Strong Museum, including files that record the history of the company and the development of games like The Bard’s Tale and Battle Chess.
While there’s no doubt a lot of information game developers can learn from studying the materials donated to the museum, donations from developers like Fargo are also an important part of documenting the history of video game development and ensuring that historic games don’t vanish forever.
The complete donation includes development disks for eighteen games created during Fargo’s time at Interplay, including materials for some projects that never made it to release.
Documents that record the business side of Interplay’s dealings were donated as well, such as press releases, calendars, business records, game proposals, and more.
“The items in this collection provide a unique look at how one of the most influential gaming companies of the 1980s and 1990s made its games and ran its business,” said the director of the Strong’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games Jon-Paul C. Dyson in a press release. “It will provide a unique resource for anyone interested in studying the history of electronic games.”
Examples of the materials donated by Fargo are on display in The Strong Museum’s eGameRevolution exhibit in Rochester, New York.