Archive EntryPreservation Record

ABZÛ

Shelf markLIB-0143

Editorial StandingCatalogued · Permanent Record

2018Game

Catalog Information

Original Title: ABZÛ
Release: 2016 (PlayStation 4, PC) · 2018 (Nintendo Switch) · 2021 (Super Rare Games #50)
Developer: Giant Squid
Publisher: 505 Games · Super Rare Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Region: Region-free · Super Rare Games #50 · HAC-P-AQ7JA
Medium: Nintendo Switch game card · Super Rare Games numbered edition
Subjects: Adventure · Exploration · Indie · Ocean · Super Rare Games · Preservation

Archival Status

Custody: Permanent archive holding
Reference Copy: Nintendo Switch game card in retail case · Super Rare Games #50 edition
Filed: October 5, 2026

Curator Notes

ABZÛ is Giant Squid’s first game: an underwater exploration piece without dialogue, built around schools of fish, ruined temples, and a diver descending through a living ocean. Studio founder Matt Nava had been art director on Journey and Flower, and Austin Wintory, Journey’s composer, scored it. The title joins the ancient words “AB” (ocean) and “ZÛ” (to know). It launched on PlayStation 4 and PC on August 2, 2016. 505 Games brought it to Nintendo Switch as a digital release on November 29, 2018; Super Rare Games produced the physical edition as its fiftieth numbered release in 2021, with 5,000 copies made across standard and SteelBook editions. The Library already holds ABZÛ as a Steam digital edition. This filing is a separate object — the numbered Switch game card — and the two records sit side by side rather than one replacing the other.

Collection Documentation

The retained object is Super Rare Games #50, the boutique physical Nintendo Switch edition of ABZÛ. Super Rare Games sold it directly from April 29, 2021, packaging the game card with interior artwork, a full-colour manual, a sticker, and trading cards. Dedicated artifact views of the individual copy have not yet been filed; the gallery below is held open for that documentation.

Preservation Notes

Access Hardware: Nintendo Switch; compatible Nintendo Switch family hardware
Original Hardware: Nintendo Switch
Playback Compatibility: Nintendo Switch software is region-free. The retained game card is the primary access copy and runs on any Nintendo Switch console.
Preservation Concerns: Game cards are flash media; long-term charge retention, contact wear, and loss of the small card from its case are the principal risks. Any content delivered as an eShop download or update depends on Nintendo’s servers and is not preserved by the card alone.
Edition History: First released August 2, 2016 on PlayStation 4 and PC; Xbox One followed in December 2016. The Nintendo Switch version arrived digitally on November 29, 2018. Super Rare Games #50 (2021) is the Switch physical edition recorded here, issued in a standard edition and a SteelBook bundle.
Access Status: The Super Rare Games print run of 5,000 copies sold out as a limited release; copies now circulate through the secondary market. The digital Switch edition was issued separately on the Nintendo eShop.

Connections

Related Archive Entries: ABZÛ
Editorial Record: Reserved for future critical writing in Bloodsoaked Media.

Artifact Documentation

Reference photography of the preserved copy held by Bloodsoaked Media. Each view records the edition, materials, and condition of the work in custody.

Space is reserved for official artwork verification, collection photography, scans, and supplementary archival media. Nothing is forced into the record until documentation is filed.

Stewardship History

A permanent chronology of this archival record — filed, revised, and tended over time. Entries accumulate; none are erased.

Oct 5, 2026
Collection Documentation entered
Oct 5, 2026
Connections established
Related to the Steam digital filing of ABZÛ (abzu).
Oct 5, 2026
Official artwork entered
Official Nintendo Switch front cover filed under the Library accession path.
Oct 5, 2026
Curator Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Filed into the Library
Accessioned as LIB-0143.
Oct 5, 2026
Preservation Notes entered
Oct 5, 2026
Published to the public shelf