Third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line has been removed from sale from Steam without warning. Publisher 2K Games haven’t commented on its removal, and it remains available via other storefronts.
“Makes no sense – especially because the themes portrayed in @SpecOpsTheLine are more relevant now than ever. Why has this happened @2k @Steam?” tweeted game director Cory Davis earlier this morning.
Although there’s no official comment, speculation has focused on the game’s soundtrack and the possibility that music license have expired. The soundtrack features songs by Jimi Hendrix, Alice In Chains, and Björk, among others. Although why, if that’s the case, it would continue to be available from GOG and Humble, I don’t know.
Originally released in 2012, Spec Ops: The Line is fondly remembered for being a military shooter with something to say about war beyond “fuck yeah, humvees!”. Much like a pleasant stroll on a warm spring day, it left Alec feeling “abjectly awful”, as he expressed in his review – although in Spec Op’s case, it was intentional.
It is not uncommon for games to disappear from sale, particularly for licensing issues. If I was to grieve the loss of a sun-and-sand odyssey into the heart of of man, I’d shed tears for Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast before Spec Ops: The Line, but your heart may be full of different stuff than mine.
I’ll update this story should 2K Games share a reason for its removal or, indeed, if it should return to the store.
