Limited Run Games co-founder Josh Fairhurst was born with an entrepreneurial spirit.
“We had orange and lemon trees in our backyard and when I was five years old, I would gather the lemons and oranges and sell them door-to-door to my neighbors for 25 cents,” Josh recalled.
His type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis at age 15 didn’t deter his drive. He was using an insulin pump by age 16 and has been able to keep his T1D well-controlled. The only exception? Nerves before important business meetings or presentations tend to cause his blood sugar to drop.
“I’ll drink something to raise my sugars when I go low, but it takes a while to kick in,” he said. “In those situations, I’ve had to do my best to pretend I’m not completely light-headed and disoriented.”
Contagious Memories
Josh playing guitar in high school with his insulin pump on display
Josh’s career arc began in his childhood bedroom in the 1990s, where he played video games and collected baseball cards, comics, and Pokémon. “These things all imbued a passion for collecting in me that has followed me throughout life,” he said.
These days, most video games are downloadable, lacking the colorful boxes and bonus items that collectors crave. Recognizing that there was a market for nostalgia, Josh helped launch Limited Run Games, a premium publisher of physical video games in a world where digital is now the norm. “When I had the idea for Limited Run, it felt like the perfect confluence of everything I loved: video games, collecting, and entrepreneurship,” he said.
Since 2015, the company has released physical versions of over 1,000 games, as well as game-related apparel, books, and soundtracks on CD and vinyl. In 2022, they opened the brick-and-mortar Limited Run Retail in Cary, NC, an homage to old-school video game and toy stores.
Full Throttle Fundraising
Josh and Limited Run Games are highly involved with Breakthrough T1D Game2Give, a partnership with video game players, streamers, and developers to raise money to fight T1D. Josh feels strongly about supporting an organization that has had a direct impact on him.
“Through Breakthrough T1D I have been able to stay aware of the research and efforts being made to help treat diabetes,” he said.
Limited Run has hosted two charity streams on its Twitch channel, in addition to donating collector’s edition games to Breakthrough T1D Game2Give streaming events.
Saturday Morning RPG, a video game created by Josh and, naturally, steeped in ’80s pop culture, was part of the hugely successful 2022 Game Over, T1D Humble Bundle. He even donated his developer revenue share from the bundle to Breakthrough T1D.
In total, Josh and his company have raised more than $35,000 to date via the partnership with Breakthrough T1D Game2Give. Josh was also recently welcomed as a new member of the Breakthrough T1D Game2Give Advisory Council, a group of 20 games industry executives with personal connections to T1D, all lending their advice and networks to the cause.
“I’m hopeful that we will be able to help raise awareness for Breakthrough T1D through unique products and initiatives,” he said.
Final Question
Josh works (and plays) with games all day, every day…but which is his favorite?
“Phantasy Star Online,” Josh said. “It originally released in 2001 and it played a significant part in shaping me. I led a group of players on it and, through that, I learned about proper leadership, camaraderie, and I formed many memories that will last a lifetime.”
