Multiple Games Get Delisted Putting Preservation Into Question
- System Shock 2 (1999) was delisted and bundled with its remaster, raising preservation concerns.
- Around 20 games, old and new, have been delisted or shut down in the last few months due to licensing, final updates, or low player counts.
- Fans and advocates criticize the loss of originals as groups like Stop Killing Games push for preservation.
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Delisting And Sunsetting
Recent news that the original version of System Shock 2 from 1999 has been delisted by Atari and Nightdive, only to be hidden behind a purchase of the recent remaster, raises concerns related to game preservation and the accessibility of older titles. This news also follows other games, including newer ones, being delisted or otherwise sunsetting.
Atari made the announcement via System Shock 2’s Steam page on Oct. 7, with the delisting going into effect on Oct. 10. Meanwhile, GOG had the original System Shock 2 for sale but has also been forced to remove it. It has, however, made it clear that it will continue to support the title even though it’s no longer able to sell it as a standalone game.
“We also want to emphasize that the original 1999 release remains part of the GOG Preservation Program. That means our team will continue to maintain and update it to ensure it runs smoothly on modern systems for generations to come.”
So Long, Games
While a delisted game is typically only removed from sale – it should still be accessible to those who already paid for it – this still removes the choice for gamers to pay for an original classic and, in the case of System Shock 2, instead forces them to get the new version of it, which of course costs substantially more.
Around 20 games have either been delisted or shut down in the last few months, and not just old titles like System Shock 2. Steel Hunters, a new online mech game by Wargaming, sunset on Oct. 8. This was an Early Access game, and its demise joins recent news that another Early Access title, Hyper Light Breaker, is also ending support.
Sometimes a game meets its end due to expired licenses (as is the case with Rock Band 4, which was delisted on Oct. 5) or due to a focus on new entries into a franchise. This is the case for sports titles such as FIFA 23, Madden 22, and NHL 21 (the latter shut down on Oct. 6 but the others should still be playable until later this month).
Other times a game suffers due to an apparent lack of players, which is what caused Anthem to get delisted in August, with servers sunsetting at the start of 2026. If gamers are lucky, the devs involved in a sunset game have the chance to try and rework it so it’s still available, as was the recent case with Splitgate going peer-to-peer.
But It’s a Classic
The System Shock 2 news is especially glaring given Nightdive Studios’ mission statement regarding game preservation and the founder’s love of the game. Eneba reached out to Nightdive to ask how it sees hiding original games behind remasters as being beneficial to games preservation, but the studio declined to comment.
Nightdive also owns the license for the first System Shock, and put out an Enhanced Version of it in 2015, followed by a remake in 2023. However, the Enhanced Edition is still listed as a separate product on various online stores, so it may only be a matter of time before the two get lumped together as has happened with its sequel.
This is especially likely as Nightdive’s recent remaster of Blood, an FPS from 1997, is already being sold with the original game. Nightdive were also involved with the remasters of Hexen and Heretic, which were released at the start of August and replaced the original versions of those games on all major platforms. However, to sweeten the sting, owners of the original games received the remasters for free.
Gamers have expressed either apathy towards recent delistings, bemoaned the fact that they can no longer buy the original at a cheaper price, or found a mercurial middle ground, as evidenced in Reddit’s Delisted channel:
“So the main negative aspect is that you can no longer just buy the original for $10 but you do get the original for free if you buy the remaster for $30. Not the worst thing ever but it kinda sucks that they are removing the option to buy cheaper games,” said one redditor.
“Seems like lots of publishers are ending the era of cheap games from forever ago – you now just have to pay more, but they know they can’t just go back and increase the price of really old games because that would be a PR disaster.”
Meanwhile, the Stop Killing Games initiative, which is hoping to ensure game studios and publishers offer end of life support to games that would otherwise disappear for good, is still going on in the background; the most recent update with this movement came in September, with news that petition signatures were still being verified.
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