Identity of Bleem Resurfaces

In a surprising turn of events, Piko Interactive, the company that took on Sony in an infamous legal battle over emulation rights back in 2001, is now crowdfunding for what it calls the ‘largest retro gaming project’ ever.

The Story Behind Bleem

Bleem was founded to bridge the gap between Sega and PlayStation consoles by allowing PS1 games to run on Dreamcast. Although Sony lost the ensuing lawsuit, reinforcing the legality of certain forms of emulation, it led to Bleem’s bankruptcy in 2001 due to overwhelming legal expenses.

Evolving into a Nostalgia Portal

Fast forward to today, Piko Interactive is resurrecting the Bleem brand under new ownership. Rather than focusing on emulation, this time around, Bleem.net aims to be an all-encompassing nostalgia portal featuring:

  • Digital ROMs and physical releases of retro titles
  • Merchandise based on iconic video games, cartoons, and toys
  • Digital comics

Crowdfunding Campaign

The crowdfunding campaign promises to bring these offerings to life. It stands as a testament to the continued interest in retro gaming.

Community Reactions

Community reactions to this development are mixed, with some nostalgic about Bleem’s previous iterations while others criticizing Piko Interactive for past missteps and subpar product releases.


What do you think might be the key to success for Bleem.net? How can a retro gaming project today balance nostalgia and profitability without alienating fans of classic games?

  • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
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    22 days ago

    New ownership, so slap a brand onto a practically unrelated project in hopes of manipulating people via brand recognition

  • warmaster@lemmy.world
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    30 days ago

    Now it’s just a standard publisher for retro games, it’s not like it’s re-releasing yuzu and going to legal war with Nintendo.

  • HappyTimeHarry@lemm.ee
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    22 days ago

    This has nothing to do with bleem, “piko interactive” didnt even exist until 11 years after bleem shut down.

    This is just a money grab by whoever purchased the IP of bleem.

  • GHiLA@sh.itjust.works
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    25 days ago

    elbow “hey, Shovel Knight, devs.”

    “Wanna make a Genesis game?”

    I’ll show up day one.

    Get someone with some skills to cook something good.