2K is pulling Spec Ops: The Line from digital stores without warning

Spec Operations: The Linethe intense and gritty shooter from 2012, will no longer be available on digital stores, a 2K spokesperson confirmed in a statement.

The spokesperson told Polygon that the game will no longer be available online “as several partnership licenses related to the game expire.” People who currently own the game can continue to play it.

“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 this year and beyond,” the spokesperson said.

The news was first noticed by Wario64who noticed that Spec Operations: The Line had disappeared from digital stores such as Steam and Fanatical. The store listing does not appear in the Steam search, and when you go to the store page there is a note: “Spec Operations: The Line is no longer available on the Steam Store.”

Currently, you can only purchase the game digitally through the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X, and third-party stores like GOG. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on whether this listing will remain in the future.

The game’s director and designer, Cory Davis, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that this step made no sense.

“It doesn’t make any sense, especially because of the themes it portrays Spec Operations: The Line are now more relevant than ever,” he wrote. “Why did this happen?”

It’s quite common for games to be removed from stores due to licensing agreements, especially for older titles. The original, for example Alan Wake was scrapped in 2017 due to expired music licenses, but was able to be reinstated. Remedy Entertainment said about this X account that this was partly due to Microsoft partners, who renegotiated the agreements.

In the same way, Spec Operations: The Line featured music from several popular artists, including Alice in Chains and Deep Purple. It even used a recording of Jimi Hendrix playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” via the main menu.

Spec Operations: The Line was developed by Yager Development and was originally released for PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Xbox 360, and was available through digital stores on those platforms. Unfortunately, the news that the game won’t be available digitally is a huge blow to the game’s availability. Although critical reception was positive, Spec Operations: The Line didn’t sell well initially, but has since become a cult classic in the way it subverted the violence players saw at the time in games like Call of Duty. Still, poor sales kept the Spec Ops franchise from making any progress.