https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24055807/spec-ops-the-line-delisting-licensing-2k

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Spec Ops: The Line permanently removed from Steam and other digital
stores

Spec Ops: The Line permanently removed from Steam and other digital
stores

/

Yesterday, Spec Ops: The Line was delisted from Steam and other PC
storefronts. It won't be back.

By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and
communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at
Kotaku.

Jan 30, 2024, 10:29 PM UTC

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Screenshot from Spec Ops: The Line featuring the game's protagonist
in tactical gear wielding a rifle staring at a urban city covered by
sand.
Image: 2K

We finally know why Spec Ops: The Line was delisted -- it's the
licensing. Video game newshound Wario64 first sounded the alarm on
social media that the game had been removed from Steam and other PC
storefronts seemingly without explanation.

On X, Cory Davis, the game's designer and director, was also out of
the loop asking the game's publisher 2K why this happened. "Makes no
sense," Davis wrote. "Especially because the themes portrayed in [
Spec Ops: The Line] are more relevant now than ever."

In an email to The Verge, 2K communications director Joe DiMiero
offered the reason for the game's removal:

    Spec Ops: The Line will no longer be available on online
    storefronts, as several partnership licenses related to the game
    are expiring. 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.

The licenses referenced likely have to do with the game's music.
During the The Line's menu screen, Jimi Hendrix's rendition of "The
Star Spangled Banner" can be heard while the game's soundtrack
includes Martha and The Vandellas' "Nowhere to Run."

As of publication, Spec Ops: The Line is still available on the Xbox
storefront and GOG, but it's not known when or if the game will be
pulled from there, too.

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