As caught by the roving eye of Steam Db, 15 more games under (some form of) the Disney brand were summarily delisted from the Steam store earlier today. Here's the full list: - Disney High School Musical 3: Senior Year Dance - Disney•Pixar Brave: The Video Game - Disney•Pixar Brave: The Video Game (Play Station 3 version) - Disney Bolt - Disney's Treasure Planet: Battle of Procyon - Disney Alice in Wonderland - Disney's Chicken Little - Disney Tangled - Disney G-Force - Disney Universe - Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure - Disney Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End - Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier (an odd one out, for reasons I'll go into) - Star Wars: Rebellion - Star Wars: Dark Forces (Classic, 1995) - Outlaws + A Handful of M missions (Classic, 1997)My suspension is that licencing issues are at play, but I've contacted Disney to ask why these delistings have happened, and I'll update this piece if I hear back. The original Dark Forces and Outlaws—both of which have received Nightdive remasters—m Ight be missed by the odd fan who never bothered to replace their CD versions with a Steam copy, but for the most part?
I would be surprised if many of the people who will ever want these games haven't already played them. Arguably the most notable name on this list is the original Star Wars: Dark Forces, a beloved '90s-era shooter that set the template for numerous future entries across multiple franchises. While it isn’t the kind of modern marvel that still gets played daily by die-hards, it remains significant enough that some collectors may have wanted it as a completists' item—especially if they didn’t want to shell out for the far fancier remastered edition, which originally cost $20 before going free during Epic’s UE 4 showcase event last year.
At this point, it's unclear whether these delistings are a continuation of the same licencing churn that struck 14 titles previously, or something else altogether. Even so, the steady drip of games disappearing from the platform makes it hard to view this as anything other than an extended purge. Whether this is the start of a larger trend remains to be seen—it could very well be a coincidence, given how scattered these delistings have been over two separate periods.
For fans just trying to play old games, however, it adds yet another hurdle to the hobby: even if you own the physical media, the digital space is increasingly turning into a curated one where availability itself can't be trusted. Update 1800: Disney has responded. In a statement provided to PC Gamer, a representative from Disney Games explained the rationale behind the move:"At Disney Games, our focus is on delivering entertaining, high-quality experiences inspired by the powerful brands loved by families around the world.
After carefully assessing our portfolio, we made the decision to remove certain older titles from digital storefronts. This action was taken in the interest of simplifying our offerings and focusing on providing the very best experience for players. We thank fans for their understanding."