Update: 30/01/2024 21:47GMT - It has now been confirmed by publisher 2K that Spec Ops: The Line will be delisted entirely from every online gaming store due to expired licenses.

Last night, Spec Ops: The Line was suddenly delisted on Steam after 12 years. Bizarrely, it's still available on GOG and Xbox, and even its director isn't sure why it was taken down.

Wario64, who specialises in tweeting game deals and affiliate links, was the first to notice this surprise removal, but since it was pointed out, neither publisher 2K nor developer Yager has addressed the situation, leaving the reason a mystery.

As reported by Shacknews, creative director Cory Davis quickly tagged 2K and Valve on Twitter to ask why Spec Ops had been taken down, "Makes no sense - especially because the themes portrayed are more relevant now than ever. Why has this happened?"

One popular theory floating around is that the game was delisted because of the licensed music. Spec Ops: The Line has tracks from Jimi Hendrix, The Black Angels, Alice in Chains, Mogwai, and Deep Purple to name a few. The main menu is even accompanied by Hendrix's song Star Spangled Banner.

If you want to give Spec Ops: The Line a try, it's currently 80 percent off on GOG, selling for £3.99. Alternatively, you can pick it up on the Xbox store for £19.99. While it's a 360 title, it's backwards compatible, so newer consoles can still play it.

Two years ago, four games in the WWE series, also published by 2K, were removed from Steam for what was assumed to be a similar reason - the licensed soundtracks. Two years later those old WWE titles are still not available to purchase, so it's unlikely that Spec Ops: The Line will return to Steam any time soon.

It's also worth noting that when the WWE games were pulled from Steam, they were pulled from Xbox and PlayStation shortly after. If this is indeed a similar situation to do with copyright, we could see Spec Ops: The Line removed from the Xbox store as well.

Again, 2K has not said anything about the delisting, so this is entirely speculative. Regardless, the situations are very similar, as WWE was likewise pulled from Steam without warning and without comment. To this day, 2K has not said why the games were delisted, only announcing the shutdown of online servers.

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