Is the Gold Masters Series by Digital Eclipse the Future of Video Game Documentaries?

Digital Eclipse has introduced the Gold Masters Series, an interactive documentary series delving into the history of video games. The first release, The Making of Karateka, marks a culmination of the studio's past work, incorporating features from previous projects like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. This concept has been in development since the relaunch of Digital Eclipse in 2015, with the goal of creating independently produced documentaries about landmark games, series, studios, or stories. The series aims to give more freedom to the studio, which typically works with big publishers and their constraints. The choice of Karateka, a 1984 martial arts game developed by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, was ideal due to the abundance of available materials, including diaries, documents, and source code from the 1980s. Mechner's ownership of the game rights, thanks to a smart contract with Broderbund, allowed for direct negotiation and a self-funded project with a limited budget. The Gold Masters Series could potentially explore the development of single games, series, franchises, or even genres, with the possibility of licensing multiple games to tell a broader story. The format allows for the inclusion of games that nobody has played, canceled games, or those with interesting stories. The series' ambition is defined by scheduling and budget, with the first release focusing on Karateka's history rather than its contemporary legacy. The documentary features a 'timeline' structure, guiding the user through included materials, and a curated approach to presenting the story. The horizontal timeline presents materials in chronological order, while the vertical timeline allows for deeper exploration of additional documentation. The series also includes playable prototypes of Karateka, the 2012 remake, and development prototypes of unreleased Jordan Mechner games. The Eclipse Engine, custom-built for this purpose, allows for authentic emulation with added features. Future releases will be significantly different, with the second release already locked and expected before the end of 2023. The series' success will depend on hitting a certain level of financial success, but it doesn't have to match the success of bigger Digital Eclipse projects.