Episode 161: Blizzard Digital Vault
Summary
Phil Salvador interviews Leah Williams, Senior Digital Archivist at Blizzard, about her unconventional path into game preservation. They discuss the challenges of managing millions of digital assets, internal advocacy for archiving, and balancing metadata needs with developer workflows. The episode covers how Blizzard’s internal archive supports current development, marketing nostalgia, and events like BlizzCon, while remaining separate from external Activision or Microsoft archives.
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest background
Path to becoming a Blizzard archivist
Digital vs. physical archiving roles
Sourcing assets and relationship building
Listener Q&A: Secrecy and company history
Archiving disbanded teams and acquisitions
Internal access and searchability focus
Metadata challenges and AI assistance
Managing massive digital asset volumes
Asset reuse and the Blizzard 35 table
Blizzard library, museum, and BlizzCon
Favorite asset: Concept art of a dog
Future of preservation and diversity
Conclusion and contact information
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