Warner Bros. Discovery Games Subject to Removal from Digital Storefronts: Developers Share Concerns

Several developers of games published under Adult Swim Games, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, have recently revealed that their games will soon be removed from digital storefronts on PC and console. This move has sadden both developers and fans alike, as beloved titles are set to disappear from popular platforms.

One of the impacted developers, Matt Kain, writer of the game Fist Puncher, took to the Steam community to share the disheartening news. He announced that the game will be retired and permanently removed from Steam within the next 60 days.

“It saddens me to announce that we received notice from Warner Bros. Discovery (the owners of Adult Swim Games) that Fist Puncher will be retired and removed from Steam in the next 60 days,” wrote Matt Kain, one of Fist Puncher’s developers, on Steam.

Similar notifications were sent to other developers under Adult Swim Games. Studio Bean, the creator of Soundodger+, shared that their game will also be removed from Steam within the same timeframe.

While a few developers have vowed to republish their games on Steam, they are faced with the challenge of losing important features such as community pages, Steam achievements, forum discussions, and screenshots. This loss of content could have been prevented if Warner Bros. granted the developers publishing permissions, but unfortunately, the company has refused to do so, citing a lack of resources.

According to the developers, however, the Steam transfer process takes only minutes. “I sent them the Steam Transfer link, explained that it takes 3 clicks, and they still refused, claiming it would only be fair to transfer no one’s games since they can’t do them all,” Studio Bean wrote.

Moving forward, many developers of Adult Swim Games speculate that Warner Bros. Discovery could be planning the eventual shutdown of the gaming division. This speculation is fueled by the company’s recent removal of TV shows from its streaming library and the shelving of nearly finished films, such as Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme, as part of cost-cutting measures.

The Verge has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery for comment.

Some developers, like Owen Deery, developer of Small Radios Big Televisions, have taken a different approach. Deery made his game freely available on his own website as a response to the removal. Studio Bean, on the other hand, mentioned that Warner Bros. would allow the team to republish the game on Steam, but only if all references to Adult Swim Games, including team members listed in the credits, were removed.

“I’m all for games preservation, and this ain’t it chief,” wrote Deery.

As the situation unfolds, gamers and developers keenly anticipate Warner Bros. Discovery’s response to the public outcry caused by the removal of these beloved games. The preservation of creativity and gaming history in an ever-changing industry is a key concern for both consumers and developers alike.