It seems like there have been a lot of stories recently working against the concept of that “all-digital future” some companies have been touting. The most recent issue cropped up following the Deadpool game – a title that recently came out back in June of 2013 – completely disappearing from digital store fronts like a kid flicking a booger from their nose.
Twinfinite caught an updated story from Game Informer, where Michael Futter wrote about the recent Deadpool game from Activision no longer being available on the Xbox Live marketplace, the PlayStation Store or the Steam Store.
The mystery was put underway by NeoGaf user Delusibeta, who noticed that the game had up and disappeared without a trace during the holiday sale on Steam. Futter decided to contact Activision about the issue and found out a bit more regarding the situation involving the digital title, as well as other Marvel-based games, writing...
“Activision has confirmed that Deadpool is gone for good. We've also learned that other titles have been removed from their respective digital delivery services.“Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Spider-Man: Edge of Time, X-Men: The Official Game, X-Men Destiny, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine have now been removed from storefronts. If you have a desire for any of these games, it's recommended that you secure a retail copy as soon as possible. It's likely that no additional copies will be entering retail channels.”
It doesn't end there, though.
Twinfinite noticed that it wasn't just Spider-Man and Deadpool that got the boot, but Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 have also been moved off digital distribution platforms.
Some sites, like The Sixth Axis, have speculated that perhaps Disney is unhappy with the way the Marvel license has been handled by other publishers or software distribution services.
Another rumor that's floating around is that Disney actually has their very own digital distribution portal in the works and that they are consolidating all the third-party licensed Marvel titles and keeping them housed together until further notice. This rumor actually seems to hold the most weight, given that Electronic Arts and Ubisoft took similar (but not quite the same) actions with their own published titles, offering them in tandem (or exclusively) via services such as Origin and Uplay. It wouldn't be unlikely that Disney would want all Marvel licensed games under one roof.
The real question is if Disney does decide to open their own digital portal would they still allow other third-party distribution affiliates to host their games? Forcing people to only buy from a Disney store while blocking out access to titles through PSN, Xbox Live or Steam seems like part of that hedged garden that former EA-CEO John Riccitiello warned publishers about (of all people, right?)
Anyway, this is just another notch on the belt of reasons why an all-digital future isn't looking too bright. At least Disney was nice enough not to have Valve remove already-purchased Marvel titles from the users' library.
Don't worry, though, you can at least relish in the goodness of this hype trailer for UMvsC 3 to help soothe your pain.
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