Spec Ops: The Line's director speaks out on the game's Steam delisting

Over the last few years, the gaming world has seen a pretty depressing trend start to take hold. Without so much as a warning, it has become clear that game developers and producers can strip their games from online storefronts, suddenly making them inaccessible to those who haven't previously downloaded them.

Game preservation is on the chopping block, and the teams that created them are those holding the axe. It's pretty brutal - and players have been shocked as another example of it taking hold has come for a truly iconic game.

Spec Ops: The Line's director speaks out about leaving Steam

The shock removal of Spec Ops: The Line from digital stores hit pretty hard for some fans, especially as its now-relevant commentary on the collateral damage seen in warfare is immensely impactful. Now, the game's director has come forward to comment on the title dropping from the platforms.

"Devastating personally, but also for those who poured their souls into its creation alongside me as developers, and for the gaming community at large,” says Cory Davis, taking to Twitter. "This is not the end for Spec Ops: The Line."

It sounds as though the director intends to remedy this situation in some way, either by speaking to the digital stores that it was pulled from, or finding a new way to welcome Spec Ops: The Line to players. Either way, the move from the storefront was shocking, and it's a sad result for a game of this stature.

Why was Spec Ops: The Line delisted?

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It seems as though the game was pulled from digital storefronts as a result of licensing issues, as reported by 2K. "Spec Ops: The Line will no longer be available on online storefronts, as several partnership licenses related to the game are expiring," says a representative of the company.

"Players who have purchased the game can still download and play the game uninterrupted. 2K would like to thank our community of players who have supported the game, and we look forward to bringing you more offerings from our label throughout this year and beyond."

It's good that owners still have access to the game, but it's still frustrating that the game is lost for now. When the game comes back, we expect it'll bite back harder than ever.