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Spec Ops: The Line delisted from Steam to director's confusion [Update]

The 2012 shooter was delisted from Steam and the game's creative director has no idea why.

Ozzie Mejia

January 29, 2024 6:00 PM

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Update: Spec Ops: The Line appears to be getting delisted from online storefronts due to expiring licenses.

A 2K Games representative said the following to PC Gamer:

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.

This confirms that the game is being delisted and also seems to indicate that 2K has no plans to work to make the game available again. Spec Ops: The Line remains delisted from Steam and has since also been removed from GOG.com.

Original story: Spec Ops: The Line is fondly remembered in 2024 for being a different kind of military shooter. While the third-person shooting mechanics were top-notch, it was also a game that posed real questions of morality in military conflicts. Those looking to experience what that means suddenly have one less option to do so, as Spec Ops: The Line was delisted from Steam on Monday. Its sudden removal has people raising questions, including from Creative Director Cory Davis.

Wario64 on Twitter (X) was among the first to notice the game's removal from Steam. While it's still available through console storefronts and other PC retailers like GOG.com, Spec Ops: The Line's removal from Steam it can no longer be sold to its millions of users. The reason for the game's removal has not been made clear and Davis, who has since moved on to co-found indie gaming studio Eyes Out, is among those who wants to know why. Shortly after finding Wario64's post, Davis asked both 2K and Valve on Twitter (X) why the game was delisted.

Shacknews first reviewed Spec Ops: The Line back in 2012, hailing the game for its combination of strong shooting mechanics and narrative that doesn't shy away from showing players the heavy consequences of their actions. It's still held up today as a shining and rare example of a military shooter that illustrates the costs of war. Davis also appeared on the Weekend Confirmed podcast a week prior to the game's release to discuss its creation.

We'll be watching this story as it develops. If any word comes in as to why Spec Ops: The Line was delisted from Steam, we'll be sure to update this space.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?