Your favourite games could disappear forever, and there is almost nothing you can do about it. In this article, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of vanishing games, to find out where the titles we love are going.
We live in an inherently digital age, and with that comes a lack of physical media to preserve. So, when we talk about video games disappearing, you could be forgiven for thinking of classic NES cartridges of less popular games simply being lost to time. Maybe even the idea of the infamous ET for Atari cartridges being unearthed en masse in a New Mexico landfill site comes to mind.
However, games that end up six feet under are not the only ones vanishing. Titles released in the last twenty, fifteen, and ten years, alongside even more recent games, are being lost, potentially forever.
Case Study: Fuel 2009
If you were to go looking for an old gem from barely a decade ago, you might find it’s not as simple as loading up Steam. (What do you mean 2009 was almost 15 years ago?)
For me, Fuel is just that. A gem I desperately wanted to play again. Released in July 2009, Fuel launched as an open-world racing epic from Asobo Studio and Codemasters. At least in my mind, Fuel is the spiritual ancestor of modern racing games like The Crew and Forza. And one day, it just disappeared.
An open world, weather events, bikes, cars, off-roading, and more. What’s not to like? But if you’re considering acquiring Fuel legally, I hope you brought your wallet. Getting a CD key for fuel is so complex one of the top results on Google for ‘Fuel Game’ is a Reddit thread on r/Steam asking the question, Is there anywhere to buy the 2009 Game FUEL on PC?
At the time of writing, prices for a Steam Global CD Key from several shady CD Key sites ranged from £234.40 to £333.94. For the sake of this article, we’ll ignore the ethical issue of buying keys that could come from stolen credit cards. You could also pick up a physical copy for Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows for about £15 on eBay. One slight hiccup, though: you’ll need a disc drive… Remember those?
According to Fuel’s Steam Community, the game was taken down from sale on the platform sometime in November of 2013. Meaning the game was only available for just under four and a half years.
Why Do Games Like Fuel Vanish?
So, why delist the game from digital storefronts in the first place? We can only guess at the actual reasoning, but there are several factors that cause titles like to Fuel disappear. Often, games with popular music in their soundtrack will regularly have to renegotiate the use of these tracks. Whilst not the case for every game, this can prove costly, forcing developers to remove certain tracks or take down their game entirely as they age. For Fuel however, it is possible another factor could be to blame. Towards the end of 2013, a plague hit hundreds of PC games.
Games for Windows Live closed during this period. With Fuel and many other PC games relying on the service for online infrastructure, Asobo and Codemasters would likely have had to make numerous costly changes to the game to keep it working as intended. Leaving Fuel and many others like it little more than abandonware.
Sins Of The Father
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
Of the four horsemen of the game apocalypse, Games for Windows Live is undoubtedly a candidate for Death. Discontinued sometime in late 2013 to early 2014, GFWL supplied much of the online infrastructure for some notable games. In fact, if you still have a decent collection of physical PC games, you’ll notice ones from this era equipped with an ugly white, blue, and yellow tumour of a banner ruining their cover art.
To this day, the scars of GFWL live on with unpatched games often requiring workarounds to function on Windows 10.
It. Gets. So. Much. Worse.
Fuel is just one example of an endlessly expanding list of games that seem to be vanishing into the digital abyss. The situation becomes even more disheartening when we consider that for some games, the avenues for retrieval are as limited as the remaining sand grains in an hourglass. While gamers wishing to play Fuel still have options like acquiring a CD Key, purchasing a resold retail edition, or venturing into the uncharted waters of piracy, a shocking number of titles simply disappear without a trace. Websites such as the Lost Media Archive keep track of games lost to time, among other things, with more than a thousand currently listed as lost. This, however is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with thousands, if not tens of thousands lost to the icy waters below.
This trend isn’t just bad news for gamers but also for the broader gaming culture. Video games are more than mere entertainment; they’re a form of art and culture. Much like classic films, books, and music, old video games hold intrinsic value in preserving the rich tapestry of gaming history. These titles represent the creative vision of their developers and the technology of their time. When studios pull the plug on these games, we risk losing a significant part of our cultural heritage, akin to tearing pages from the book of gaming evolution.
87% of classic video games released in the United States are critically endangered.
“Historically significant games with low commercial value are especially unlikely to be reissued.”
Earlier this year, a groundbreaking study spotlighted the distressing state of classic video game preservation. In a landmark investigation, the first-ever study into the commercial availability of classic video games unearthed a harrowing statistic – of the dataset studied a staggering 87% of games released in the United States now teeter on the brink of extinction. This extensive study, a collaborative effort between The Video Game History Foundation and the Software Preservation Network, meticulously examined over 4,000 historical games launched in the United States prior to 2010. Its aim was to determine if they have been reissued or are otherwise still available through their rights holders.
In the current US marketplace, just 13% of video game history is widely available. What’s more, the study found of their dataset just 12% of PlayStation 2 games were available, noting, “Historically significant games with low commercial value are especially unlikely to be reissued.”
The Vanishing Act doesn’t stop there, either. Even games with cult followings aren’t safe from the chopping block. Minecraft: Story Mode, from infamous narrative adventure developer Telltale, has suffered a similar fate to Fuel’s.
Both season one and season two of Minecraft: Story Mode are no longer available to purchase or download. In a blog post on their website, Telltale announced the game would no longer be supported back in 2015, with Minecraft themselves warning fans to download copies of the game by the end of June 2019 to avoid losing access. Despite rising from the ashes of a studio closure, the new group of industry veterans and fans of Telltale’s narrative legacy have seemingly been unable to reacquire the licence for Story Mode.
The Challenge of Modern Game Preservation
Unlike physical media such as books, vinyl records, or even older physical editions of games, many modern PC and console games launch exclusively as digital downloads. This is especially true for indie games. They might even rely on online servers for functionality, meaning the games become unplayable when these servers or store pages are taken down. Even if you save a copy to your hard drive. Licensing issues further complicate matters, making legally preserving and distributing older titles difficult.
Monetisation Over Preservation
The primary motivation behind removing old games often appears to be financial. Game studios want to focus on their latest projects and maximise profits. However, this shortsighted approach neglects the long-term value of these games and ignores the broader gaming community’s desires. But who cares about a few old small games, right?
Well, What About CS:GO?
In the realm of esports, few titles have left as indelible a mark over the last two decades as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. While the Counter-Strike franchise has a longer history, encompassing the original Counter-Strike, Condition Zero, and even Counter-Strike: Source, those classics remain readily accessible on Steam. As of the time of writing, the only way to experience iconic CS:GO action is by navigating through the Beta participation menu for Counter-Strike 2—a workaround that we’re unsure how long will last.
We’re heckin’ excited about Counter-Strike 2 and have scoured high and low for every tasty bit of information, rumours, or hints about gameplay. All of which we’ve compiled into this one blog post.
The Moral Dilemma
As gamers, we find ourselves at a digital crossroads. When these games are no longer available for purchase from the publishers or rights holders, the question arises: why shouldn’t we just take them? After all, if games are considered a form of art, do they not inherently belong to us, the gamers who have invested countless hours of passion and dedication into these virtual worlds?
This raises a big ethical question: If a game’s publisher and creator have essentially walked away from it, leaving it inaccessible, can they still lay any claim to it? Should they feel a moral duty to ensure that the incredible experiences they’ve crafted live on for future generations? These are the sorts of questions that make us rethink who really owns these games, what it means for artistic expression, and the legacy we’re shaping in the ever-changing world of gaming.
The GOG Preservation Program
A new hope has emerged for classic games! The GOG Preservation Program, launched during their 16th-anniversary celebrations, is dedicated to protecting gaming’s legacy by restoring and re-releasing retro titles.
With over 100 games in its initial line-up, GOG has announced they won’t be stopping there, with more games set to be added over the coming months. Games in the program have been through extensive quality testing with custom improvements to ensure compatibility and quality-of-life updates added to many.
“If a game is part of the Preservation Program, it means that we commit our own resources to maintaining its compatibility with modern and future systems.”
A Flicker of Hope in the Digital Abyss
The vanishing act of our favourite games is a stark reminder of the challenges posed by digital media’s dominance. So, what can we do? Whilst widespread preservation remains an uphill battle, gamers can play a role in preserving gaming history. By hording physical copies of older games and where possible downloading local and cloud copies of newer games you can take a small stand against their extinction. We must acknowledge the limitations of these individual efforts. Neither gamers or developers, with finite resources and changing priorities, can be expected to singlehandedly bear the burden of game preservation.
There is, in truth, very little we can do. Some glimmers of hope are emerging from initiatives like the Internet Archive and passionate gaming communities, with groups such as The Video Game History Foundation and the Software Preservation Network actively contributing to safeguarding our gaming history. However, with so many titles already lost to time, the gaming industry as a whole needs to bring together our collective efforts and advocacy for game preservation.
- 11 min read
Robert Mullane
Author
When not working, you'll find me in VR or losing in bottom-tier Valorant matches. I write about all topic's tech and gaming with a particular focus on representation in gaming, virtual reality, and LGBTQ+ themes. If you're still not fed up with me, you can also catch me over on the Overclockers UK TikTok and YouTube accounts.
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