Support NeoGAF

[The Scrivener]

I have Minecraft Story Mode Season 1 purchased. And I have seen Season 2 on disc in a store (EU where stock sucks) but can't afford to pick it up yet. But this really sucks. What about all the other Telltale Games titles?

And I looked, and behold a game console, and its name was digital only, and hell followed cuz I couldn't get a refund.

Important Minecraft: Story Mode Information

Make sure to download your episodes!

www.minecraft.net

“On behalf of the publisher, Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series, Season 1 and 2 will no longer be supported on June 25th, 2019. If you have purchased these seasons, please download all remaining episodes prior to the service being discontinued in June."

Update:

Courtesy of jshackles

"I think maybe you guys are reading too much into the statement that was made by Minecraft / Telltale regarding this particular game.

The confusion comes in because on Consoles, some PC outlets, and mobile - if you buy the season pass or the "Season Pass Disc", you don't automatically "own" each episode until you download it. Once you own the game on that platform, you should be able to re-download it at any time. They're just trying to make sure you have all the stuff you've paid for before it gets pulled from the digital storefronts and that's no longer possible. I know that on PSN specifically, I even got a $0.00 receipt email after "purchasing" each episode of Guardians of the Galaxy (for example)."

 

[Virex]

When you buy digital you don't own the product you paid for in any way. So for publishers or devs to pull a game, song, movie etc. from a store front really doesn't matter to them. It was never yours to begin with. People need to understand that none of these companies are your friends or "tech bros". They don't give a shit.

The digital future is not going to be good for anyone but publishers, developers etc.

 

[KellyNole]

When you buy digital you don't own the product you paid for in any way. So for publishers or devs to pull a game, song, movie etc. from a store front really doesn't matter to them. It was never yours to begin with. People need to understand that none of these companies are your friends or "tech bros". They don't give a shit.

The digital future is not going to be good for anyone but publishers, developers etc.

Technically you don’t own it on disc either, you are just using a license, they haven’t really had methods to take this license away until the consoles went online. They could easily apply a patch to the game or console to block the game from starting.

 

[Virex]

Technically you don’t own it on disc either, you are just using a license, they haven’t really had methods to take this license away until the consoles went online. They could easily apply a patch to the game or console to block the game from starting.

But you have a choice to patch it or not. They aren't going to come to your house and take the physical disc

 

[Quezacolt]

Either you want to admit it or not, if you are in favor of an all digital future, you are in favor of companies screwing their clients. We had other similar cases too, where games were removed either because the online service ended (wii shop), because of licensing problems (alan wake, Scott pilgrim, etc...) or simply because the companies are trash, like Konami (removal of P.T).

You are giving money for something that can be easily taken away from you, hell, it was never yours to begin with. Let's not forget about the stories of people that lost their PSN accounts, and thousands of dollars were thrown away, just like that.

Overall, going digital only has much more cons than pros, and in my opinion it should be an option only, we should always have the choice of physical versions.

 

[Virex]

Either you want to admit it or not, if you are in favor of an all digital future, you are in favor of companies screwing their clients. We had other similar cases too, where games were removed either because the online service ended (wii shop), because of licensing problems (alan wake, Scott pilgrim, etc...) or simply because the companies are trash, like Konami (removal of P.T).

You are giving money for something that can be easily taken away from you, hell, it was never yours to begin with. Let's not forget about the stories of people that lost their PSN accounts, and thousands of dollars were thrown away, just like that.

Overall, going digital only has much more cons than pros, and in my opinion it should be an option only, we should always have the choice of physical versions.

But....but....when I buy digital I don't need to lift my fat ass to change discs or go to the store to buy a copy or get up to click on my mouse to order a physical copy

 

[Stuart360]

What so you wont even be able to download them off Steam after this date?

 

[The Scrivener]

What so you wont even be able to download them off Steam after this date?

Believe so, yep.

 

[wipeout364]

That’s really unusual actually. There are not any games I can think of where if you owned it they outright stopped you from downloading it.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

What so you wont even be able to download them off Steam after this date?

Many European and Australian lawsuits coming their way. I love sensible consumer protection laws.

 

[LordRaptor]

What so you wont even be able to download them off Steam after this date?

No, if you own a game on steam you can redownload it forever, even after its been delisted.

 

[Stuart360]

No, if you own a game on steam you can redownload it forever, even after its been delisted.

Well yeah thats what confused me. I have a load of games on Steam that dont even have a Steam page anymore as the games have been delisted, you can still download them though.

 

[The Scrivener]

Religious puns aside, I guess my views for creating the thread are both:

1: It plain sucks that this can happen.
2: You pay a bit of money to play a game, you play the game, you finish the game, you move on with your life and memories.

I'm kinda in the middle. I don't support the process, however I have a massive stack load (not literally) of digital games sitting on (not literally) my Xbox One consoles.

I probably will have to curb my overspending, play though my digital backlog, and move on knowing that I spent money on entertainment and that companies don't truly love me.

I get that this is old news now going into to E3 2019, but it is one of those infrequent warning signs of being sold a lie.

 

[Kenpachii]

When you buy digital you don't own the product you paid for in any way. So for publishers or devs to pull a game, song, movie etc. from a store front really doesn't matter to them. It was never yours to begin with. People need to understand that none of these companies are your friends or "tech bros". They don't give a shit.

The digital future is not going to be good for anyone but publishers, developers etc.

Clearly never heard of gog. Or even with that digital piracy that keeps games alive even after they jank it from sales.

Also everybody is still capable to play the game and download it forever that bought it. You just can't buy new copy's for new accounts.

About physical If sony or microsoft wanted they could easily ban you from unlicensed physical games on new consoles if they cared tomorrow. Hell they already do this the moment you get online by stripping content in patches to remove licensed songs in games. And nobody has there consoles offline anymore these days, offline times are gone.

Physical is nothing but a clunky outdated way to transfer game data and nothing more.

 

[Virex]

Clearly never heard of gog.

Also everybody is still capable to play the game and download it forever that bought it. You just can't buy new copy's for new accounts.

If sony or microsoft wanted they could easily ban you from unlicensed physical games on new consoles if they cared tommorow.

physical is nothing but a clunky way to transfer game data.

My GoG library is pretty big. So many games I thought I'd never be able to play again. And their pricing is very good as well. And what's the nicest is that I can backup the installer etc. So if something gets delisted I still have it. I want Dark Earth on GoG so bad and I hope it makes it to GoG someday. So you could say that I've heard of GoG

 

[sol_bad]

I think of it like this.

If you are a purchaser of physical games, there will come a time where you can no longer buy a physical game brand new and you can only buy it on the 2nd hand market. Once a game hits that state and it only comes from the 2nd hand market, the publisher/developer is no longer making any money from that game, the money is going to the sellers pocket.

If you are a purchaser of digital games, if/when a title is finally pulled from digital stores, it's no different than a physical game no longer being available. The publisher/developer is no longer getting money from that game. You can still download the game and play it though, obviously this involves piracy.

At the end of the day, whether you purchase a 2nd hand physical game or pirate a digital game, no money is going towards the developers or the distributors.

 

[The Scrivener]

There are not any games I can think of

All your games?

At least that's what the pro-digital future supporters say.

It's true though, you own no thing. Nothing. Nothing exists. Only "games" "journalist" "reviews" will continue on into the future. They will form a bible of gaming heritage but all games themselves will be dead and gone. Even the ones over 7/10. This is your digital future.

 

[Husky]

I've been stuck on this thread for a while cuz the whole "you can't redownload this game after June 25th" bit is confusing me. Has this ever been done before (with a paid game)? Every game I've bought that's been taken down from sale is still available for download, this just sounds nuts. How many countries would this be illegal in, anyhow?

 

[Klart]

I guess this is a first for PSN? (not counting PT as this was a free demo)

Lots of games have gotten removed from the store, but you could always redownload if you bought them previously.

 

[The Scrivener]

I think of it like this.

Surely the best analogy is the company knocking on your door and reclaiming the disc?

i.e. It shouldn't/wouldn't happen.

The analogy that the disc is just a licence is crap. I can stick that disc (well at least up to a few gens ago) in and off I go regardless of the current state of the gaming market. This is the way it should be.

Consoles should be able to download games forever, and be played forever, that would be heaven, without the "whoops we can't find an Internet connection! If you paid for the game and have the disc in your hand, maybe unplug your cable for 10 seconds and try again. If that fails and you still have the working disc right there in your hands, then call your network operator."

In 20 years time I'll be sitting on a digital backlog of thin-fucking-air. A pile of air that I spent too much money on and not enough time on.

 

[The Scrivener]

I've been stuck on this thread for a while cuz the whole "you can't redownload this game after June 25th" bit is confusing me. Has this ever been done before (with a paid game)? Every game I've bought that's been taken down from sale is still available for download, this just sounds nuts. How many countries would this be illegal in, anyhow?

The wording of the links I posted indicate this. I thought it was reasonable, a. to alert folk to download the games, and b. to discuss the hellish issue of a digital only future.

Get downloading!

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I saw a similar story that an RPG was being pulled from Steam because some licensing expired:

Steam :: [Old Edition] Croixleur Sigma :: Croixleur Sigma will be Delisted from Steam on June 1st

If you have Croixleur Sigma in your wishlist, now might be a good time to pull the trigger! Our license to sell Croixleur Sigma has expired and delist the title from the Steam store and other distributors on June 1st. You can expect to see more Croixleur-related developments from souvenir circ...

steamcommunity.com

Just goes to show that if you buy digital you should be comfortable with the notion of not really owning it. Sure, we can argue about the permanence of certain physical mediums, but pulling a game less than 5 years after launch is ridiculous.

 

[The Scrivener]

pulling a game less than 5 years after launch is ridiculous.

Season 2 was published (on Xbox) July 2017.

They were good titles, I only have 25 out of 50 cheevos for S1, so they'll probably go too after the 25th June. Gotta finish it up.

 

[Gamezone]

I don't get it. Isn't it better to just leave the game in the store? The only way to get it now is trough illegal copies.

 

[quickwhips]

Title is misleading. At least on Xbox you need to download once but then can delete and redownload when you want.

 

[ultrazilla]

When you buy digital you don't own the product you paid for in any way. So for publishers or devs to pull a game, song, movie etc. from a store front really doesn't matter to them. It was never yours to begin with. People need to understand that none of these companies are your friends or "tech bros". They don't give a shit.

The digital future is not going to be good for anyone but publishers, developers etc.

This. So. Damn. Much. This.^

 

[The_Mike]

Seems like switching to PC was better for a digital owner.

I've bought all my games digital on pc and Xbox One, and I've literally never tried not being able to re-download something. When I bought it its mine until Steam goes down.

I hate physical. It takes so much space

 

[The Scrivener]

Title is misleading. At least on Xbox you need to download once but then can delete and redownload when you want.

Read the OP or change your tag to quickquips.

No downloads will be possible after the 25th June.

 

[Javthusiast]

I don't usually buy full priced games digitally, mostly during sales only. I rarely replay games nowadays, cause there is simply too much games to play. New ones and my long as hell backlog. I pay for stuff like netflix and amazon prime, where I don't own anything.

Yes it sucks that you can lose access to your digitally purchased media, but I am at a point where if I paid less than 20 for a game, and I played through it once, should I lose access doesn't bother me that much, cause I simply see it as like losing money on a netflix subscription monthly. I got my hours worth of fun out of it.

Obviously it would suck big time if I bought a game like Death Stranding at launch and then lost access later, but buying digital games when they come out is insane, cause they ALWAYS are way more expensive than new physical copies. WHICH IS A DAMN CRIME CONSIDERING THERE IS NO PACKAGING AND DISCS TO MANUFACTURE ETC.

 

[The Scrivener]

buying digital games when they come out is insane, cause they ALWAYS are way more expensive than new physical copies. WHICH IS A DAMN CRIME CONSIDERING THERE IS NO PACKAGING AND DISCS TO MANUFACTURE ETC.

My armchair pundit guess would be you're paying extra for those servers to be always online... no... wait...

Whereas when you buy the cheaper disc version the content is already on the disc... no... wait...

 

[MMaRsu]

Either you want to admit it or not, if you are in favor of an all digital future, you are in favor of companies screwing their clients. We had other similar cases too, where games were removed either because the online service ended (wii shop), because of licensing problems (alan wake, Scott pilgrim, etc...) or simply because the companies are trash, like Konami (removal of P.T).

You are giving money for something that can be easily taken away from you, hell, it was never yours to begin with. Let's not forget about the stories of people that lost their PSN accounts, and thousands of dollars were thrown away, just like that.

Overall, going digital only has much more cons than pros, and in my opinion it should be an option only, we should always have the choice of physical versions.

You can redownload those games even if they were removed from the service.

 

[lock2k]

I have the solution

 

[Quezacolt]

You can redownload those games even if they were removed from the service.

Ok, and when those services go offline, what then?

 

[The Scrivener]

Ok, and when those services go offline, what then?

NeoGAF.
Memories.
SNES Mini.
Bitter hatred.

Seriously though, the only definition WHO should give to gaming addiction is anyone who buys a digital game and never gets round to playing it before the servers go offline.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

So what happens to the physical disc editions of these games? I believe they only have episode 1 included on them and then they download off of the console game server to access the others. I saw Season 2 in Target yesterday for Switch/Xbox/PS4. Can you imagine someone buying this in a few weeks taking it home and not working? I don't think Target or other big box stores allow you to return a game after it has been opened.

If this is true that you can no longer download the game, even if you own it, this is going to be a huge mess.

 

[ResilientBanana]

A shitty game will get lost into the ether and yet people shed a tear because it fits their narrative? I don't think this is a sign of things to come as TellTale folded without any publisher to come and save all their assets. If a publisher wants to scoop the game up, it will happen, but even Microsoft is saying "Hell naw" so the game must not have sold all that well.

Shitty, pointless games should be forgotten.

 

[Javthusiast]

My armchair pundit guess would be you're paying extra for those servers to be always online... no... wait...

Whereas when you buy the cheaper disc version the content is already on the disc... no... wait...

Or they simply can get away with it so they do and get more cash or retail shops don't want digital to undermine their prices otherwise they won't sell those games in their shops anymore.

 

[The Scrivener]

So what happens to the physical disc editions of these games? I believe they only have episode 1 included on them and then they download off of the console game server to access the others. I saw Season 2 in Target yesterday for Switch/Xbox/PS4. Can you imagine someone buying this in a few weeks taking it home and not working? I don't think Target or other big box stores allow you to return a game after it has been opened.

If this is true that you can no longer download the game, even if you own it, this is going to be a huge mess.

It's Minecraft too. Not exactly unpopular. You wonder how long gaming publishers can shield themselves behind their public service announcements. Think of the children.

 

[The Scrivener]

fits their narrative

Nah, I'm just thinking about my cheevo ratio and if I should pick up S2 on disc for 30 Euros before it's too late.

 

[Nymphae]

you can't redownload this game after June 25th" bit is confusing me. Has this ever been done before (with a paid game)?

The Scott Pilgram game for PS3. I bought it, and deleted it after beating it. Now I can never download it again. So convenient, I love digital.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

The Scott Pilgram game for PS3. I bought it, and deleted it after beating it. Now I can never download it again. So convenient, I love digital.

I own Scott Pilgrim and you can absolutely still re-ownload it. Go on the PSN website and search your download history - you can re-download it to your PS3 easily.

 

[Nymphae]

I own Scott Pilgrim and you can absolutely still re-ownload it. Go on the PSN website and search your download history - you can re-download it to your PS3 easily.

I mean I haven't tried in years because it was well known that you could not re-download this after it was pulled from the store. If you're correct I'm not sure when it was re-listed.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

I mean I haven't tried in years because it was well known that you could not re-download this after it was pulled from the store. If you're correct I'm not sure when it was re-listed.

I you bought the game, you can re-download it. I just went into my download history on the PSN website and found it. I just have to click - download to my PS3. Turtles in Time re-shelled is there too (also delisted). If you don't own it, you are out of luck. If you do own it, you can still access it.

 

[Husky]

I mean I haven't tried in years because it was well known that you could not re-download this after it was pulled from the store. If you're correct I'm not sure when it was re-listed.

I've seen people say this before, but I don't believe it's ever been true. My Scott Pilgrim's always been redownloadable every time I checked, but it seems like a common misconception that it's not, maybe fueled by the example of PT or somethin.

 

[cucuchu]

I remember seeing this on Netflix of all places, which I guess works for this sort of game, but I wonder if its being removed from there as well.

Trading in my base PS4 towards a PS4 Pro and then realizing I was unable to download P.T. since it was entirely removed from PSN was enough of a kick in the testicles for me to truly begin fearing an all-digital future.

 

[Nymphae]

I've seen people say this before, but I don't believe it's ever been true. My Scott Pilgrim's always been redownloadable every time I checked, but it seems like a common misconception that it's not, maybe fueled by the example of PT or somethin.

Hmm, maybe you guys are right, I was sure I tried to get it again in the past and iI wasn't able to, but maybe I'm just confusing the news of the game itself being delisted for purchase.

Either way, I think that is shitty enough that that can happen because of rights or license issues. If you missed the physical release of a game in the past, you could buy it used somewhere. Where can you acquire digital only content that has been pulled from stores if you didn't already pay for it?

 

[Woo-Fu]

When you buy digital you don't own the product you paid for in any way.

You don't own it in any way regardless of what distribution method you choose. You own a limited license to use and in the case of physical a media kit worth about 25 cents.

 

[Psychotic_Mantis]

Hmm, maybe you guys are right, I was sure I tried to get it again in the past and iI wasn't able to, but maybe I'm just confusing the news of the game itself being delisted for purchase.

Either way, I think that is shitty enough that that can happen because of rights or license issues. If you missed the physical release of a game in the past, you could buy it used somewhere. Where can you acquire digital only content that has been pulled from stores if you didn't already pay for it?

Completely agree. I really wish one of these game reporters would ask a follow-up to the statement that was put out. It is confusing anyone paying attention and a few things should be easy to clear up. If you own it - can you re-download it, if you own the physical disc - do you still have access to the episodes. If you can do neither, what is the answer for anyone that purchased the game as recently as today (since it is still on sale in brick/mortar and Amazon as well).

 

[Virex]

You don't own it in any way regardless of what distribution method you choose. You own a limited license to use and in the case of physical a media kit worth about 25 cents.

You're stating the obvious

 

[Woo-Fu]

You're stating the obvious

Except most people disagree with this particular obvious, at least every time it comes up on this forum. If you don't understand software licensing you can't have much of a conversation about "game ownership".

Instead of talking about ownership of something you don't own in the first place the conversation should be about licensing terms that allow the publisher to pull the plug whenever they feel like it.