tl;dr: If you’re an Aussie Flash dev, contact me about games preservation!
- Update [20-02-2026]: The NFSA has confirmed that Australian Flash Animation is also very welcome to archiving! ^^
- Update[11-02-2026]: I spoke to ‘Fergus Halliday’ about Flash and games preservation! [Link]
Hey! Did you know I love Flash?! The first games I publicly released to the world were Flash games, and some even did quite well! It’s because of Flash that I ended up becoming a game developer, and I’m not alone! I’ve heard so many stories about indie-devs getting their starts in the wild world of Flash, either making games, animations, or just getting inspired by the incredible and insane content people were putting out. It was a wonderful time, but one that got cut short back in 2010 when it was announced that support going to be getting dropped. Countless projects slowly became unplayable or just straight-up got lost to the void of the internet.
Luckily, emulators such as Swivel and Ruffle were developed over the years, which allowed databases like Flashpoint Archive to collect and host over 200,000 projects! We also have communities such as Newgrounds who are not only collaborating to help preserve Flash, but also run annual Flash competitions! Almost every time Flash comes up in conversation around indie-devs, a wave of nostalgia and passion washes through us. As I mentioned, I wouldn’t even be here today typing this if it wasn’t for Flash, so I wanted to give something back.
While the phenomenal efforts of communities and devs have allowed Flash to hold on, we’re not even close to being done. Many games still don’t run properly in modern emulators, and even though community-driven archives do incredible work, the risk of legal action, technical issues, or even just a lack of funding, could mean these treasure troves may one day disappear. Fortunately, at least in Australia, we have a solution! (≧▿≦)☆
In 2025, I spoke with representatives at the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia to discuss game archiving, and was thrilled to learn that they’re keen to start administering Flash projects to the archives! This would allow Flash projects to be preserved at a national-grade level, ensuring the highest quality longevity and support. This would mean that any archived Australian Flash games and animations will be maintained for years to come for both research and public access.
So, hear me out! If you’re an Australian Flash dev, I want to talk to you! If you know Australian Flash devs, I want to talk to them! If you love Flash, I want to high-five you! Spread the word, and get Flash devs to contact me! Generally what we’re looking for are:
▪ Movie Files (.swf)
▪ Project Files (.fla)
▪ Assets & Concept Art
▪ Associated Docs & Dev-Logs
▪ Promotional Material (Trailers, Screenshots, etc)
▪ Interviews & Essays
However, even if you’ve lost these but are interested in the idea of Flash preservation, reach out anyway!
The best way for someone to reach out to me is to hit me up on my Bluesky @silstipro, but you can also go over to my [Contact Form] and send me an email there! Thank-you for your time, and I look forward to preserving a bit of our history together! ^^
FAQ:
- What gets archived? Any Australian project files, viewable files, source files, concept art, documentation, promotional material, etc. The NFSA wants it all~! You can read more [here].
- What about animations? Absolutely! As a game developer myself, my focus has been predominantly on Flash games, however there is a plethora of phenomenal animated content out there as well, and the NFSA is equally as keen to archive this too!
- What does the dev get out of this? Nothing, except the knowledge that their work will be permanently preserved for as long as feasibly possible within a government quality archive where the public and researchers can access it for generations to come~
- Whats the difference between the NFSA and Newgrounds or Flashpoint? Community archives are still crucial to art preservation, but the NFSA does so at a government level. Their goal is to capture not just the art, but the history surrounding it, and archive that for generations. NG/FP is your quick public access “I wanna play this 10 year old Flash game”, whereas NFSA is “I want to look up the history of this 100 year old Flash game, understand how it was made, and also I wanna play it.” I personally believe that true archiving should be done so through both avenues simultaneously; in the hands of the professionals and of the people.
- Why are you doing this? Flash was the the foundational to me becoming an indie-dev, which has been an absolutely wild-ride and one I am eternally grateful for! So I’m volunteering my time to return the favour and do what I can to get Flash preserved and recognised for it’s place in indie-dev history.
- What about ‘Adult Content’? It’s no secret that numerous Flash projects contain mature content, ranging from light adult themes to the pornographic. The NFSA has confirmed that they do have ‘Restricted Content’ in their archive, and that if anyone wishes to donate such projects that they must be flagged correctly to be appropriately reviewed and accepted.
- What if I’m now living in another country? This is totally fine! The NFSA has confirmed that, as long as you are Australian, it still contributes to Australian Flash history and can be submitted.
- How do I apply? / How long is the process? If you believe you match all the criteria, you can apply through the NFSA‘s Collection Page here [Link]. The initial application mostly asks questions about who you are and what the project(s) is(are), and it can take up to 60 days to hear back. From there, you will be in touch with the NFSA and the process time is variable, depending on how long it takes to review your work, process it, and submit it to the archive, but it will take a while so the sooner you apply the better!
Learn more about the NFSA:
- Games Preservation: [Link] Why is it important to archive games and game history? How much has been lost over the years? Why are we doing this?
- What We Collect: [Link] We collect not just the viewable files, but the project files, source code, promotional material, concept art, dev-logs, storyboards, interviews, and more! We don’t just collect the game, but the history around it as well!