Two classic Sega mobile games may soon be removed from digital storefronts, prompting fans of retro gaming to act quickly to secure these titles before they potentially disappear.
The Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection will be delisted from Steam and other digital storefronts after March 31. The collection is priced at £25. It was released in November 2023 and has had sales, with prices dropping to £6.25 during the recent Steam Winter Sale. Limited Run Games has committed to transparency regarding the delisting process and aims to give fans ample opportunity to purchase the game before it is removed from the marketplace.
Disney has removed 14 titles from the Steam platform without prior notice, leaving fans concerned about the fate of their childhood games. The delisted titles include lesser-known games, and while not all players may feel affected, it raises questions about digital gaming history preservation. Notable titles mentioned include Disney's Hercules and Armed and Dangerous, which evoke nostalgia for some players. The removal highlights the ongoing conversation about game preservation and accessibility in the digital realm.
More than a dozen Disney-published titles have been removed from sale on Steam, raising concerns about digital preservation. The delisted games include:
- Afterlife
- Armed and Dangerous
- Disney's Cars Radiator Springs Adventures
- Disney's Chicken Little Ace in Action
- Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell's Adventure
- Disney's Hercules
- Disney Pixar Finding Nemo
- Disney Pixar Toy Story Mania
- Disney Planes
- Disney The Princess and The Frog
- Disney Winnie the Pooh
- Lucidity
- Phineas and Ferb: New Inventions
- Stunt Island
The removal affects both lesser-known licensed games and beloved classics from LucasArts, such as Afterlife, which allows players to build infrastructures of heaven and hell, and other notable titles like Armed and Dangerous and Stunt Island. Players were not given prior notice about the delisting.
Over a dozen Disney-published titles have been removed from Steam, raising concerns about digital preservation in gaming. Notable delisted games include the 1996 simulation game Afterlife, along with Armed and Dangerous, Lucidity, and Stunt Island. The complete list of removed titles is:
- Afterlife
- Armed and Dangerous
- Disney's Cars Radiator Springs Adventures
- Disney's Chicken Little Ace in Action
- Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell's Adventure
- Disney's Hercules
- Disney Pixar Finding Nemo
- Disney Pixar Toy Story Mania
- Disney Planes
- Disney The Princess and The Frog
- Disney Winnie the Pooh
- Lucidity
- Phineas and Ferb: New Inventions
- Stunt Island
The absence of prior notice regarding the delisting has frustrated fans and collectors, highlighting the fragility of digital ownership.
Amazon will cease operations of its multiplayer online game, New World, on January 31, 2027. The game has been removed from all platforms, but current owners can still access it until the shutdown date. Purchases made with in-game currency will not be refunded. Amazon plans to release New World: Aeternum for Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as PlayStation 5, in October 2024.
The app "Sileme," which translates to "are you dead," has been removed from both Apple and Android app stores, confirmed by a search conducted by the Global Times. Following its delisting, similar apps have emerged, such as "Alive Yet? - Dead Yet? SMS Version" and "Dead Yet? Drift Version." One of Sileme's founders, surnamed Guo, confirmed its removal. Sileme's official Weibo account announced a daily check-in feature and invited the public to suggest a new Chinese name, while also revealing plans to adopt the global brand name "Demumu" in the next version. The app is designed as a safety tool for individuals living alone, allowing users to check in daily, with alerts sent to emergency contacts if they fail to do so within a set timeframe.
Transformers: Battlegrounds will be delisted from Steam on December 31 due to an expiring licensing agreement. The game is currently being offered at a 90% discount. It features tactical gameplay aimed at younger audiences, with characters from the Transformers franchise.
GOG's representative confirmed that "The Outer Worlds" and the "Spacer's Choice Edition" will not be delisted. However, "Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey" is still on track for delisting, though GOG is working to resolve this issue. "Ancestors" is currently available at an 80% discount until January 3, 2026. Both games were initially set to be removed from the GOG store on December 15, and the decision to delist them was made by their parent company, Haveli Investments, which is undergoing restructuring.
Humble has reinstated the game "Horses" on its platform after a temporary delisting for reevaluation. Developer Santa Ragione stated that the game's content, while heavy, did not warrant removal. However, Humble later decided to delist "Horses" again. The game was previously banned from Steam and Epic Games Store due to violations of content guidelines, with Epic citing "Inappropriate Content" and "Hateful or Abusive Content." Santa Ragione's appeal to Epic was denied without further explanation. The game has received attention for its unsettling premise, which critiques societal acceptance of morally horrifying actions. Despite facing bans, "Horses" is currently available on Humble, itch.io, and GOG.