Sega is stopping selling many retro games on digital platforms like Steam. Sega confirmed in the FAQ that the affected titles will no longer be purchasable as of December 6th. However, anyone who pre-purchased the games or already has them in the library can still play them.
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One reason for this move Sega doesn’t disclose this in its FAQInstead, there is a list of affected games divided by platform. Steam users will soon no longer be able to purchase “Streets of Rage” and “Jet Set Radio.” The full list of Windows games removed from the Store includes over 60 titles. Sega is now removing the “Sega Genesis Classics” collection, which includes over 50 games, from the official Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch stores.
On Steam, players vent their anger through review bombing: Some affected games are currently receiving negative reviewsBefore they are thrown out of the stores. Anyone who still wants to buy the listed title will have until December 6 to decide.
The brief life of a video game
Video games are considered a particularly fast-moving medium: a study last year by the Video Game History Foundation shows that older games are rarely available on modern systems anymore. According to this, almost 9 out of 10 games released before 2010 are no longer available on current platforms.
While many older games are easily taken out of stores or fall victim to technical incompatibilities, other titles are simply discontinued. This was the case with Ubisoft’s “The Crew.” In response, YouTuber Ross Scott launched the “Stop Killing Games” project.
A citizens’ initiative called “Stop Destroying Videogames” launched by this organization is currently collecting votes on the EU website. 375,000 people in the EU have supported the initiative so far. The European Commission needs one million expressions of support by July 31, 2025 to address the issue
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