When Yager Development and 2K’s Spec Ops: The Line launched over a decade ago, it didn’t exactly set the world on fire with its critical reception, nor was it a particularly successful game from a sales perspective. In the years since its release though, it’s accumulated a sizeable and vocal fan-following, with the third person shooter’s narrative strengths in particular having been showered with no small amount of praise.
Sadly, however, the game’s shelf life is effectively over. Spec Ops: The Line recently started being delisted from online stores, including both Steam and the Xbox store, and it was confirmed not long afterward by 2K that the shooter was set to be delisted from all online stores across the board due to expiring licenses.
A 2K representative told journalist Stephen Totilo, “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.”
With Spec Ops: The Line being taken off digital stores, given the fact that it’s a twelve-year-old game that is available only on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, purchasing the game is going to be effectively impossible going forward, either physically or digitally.