Spec Ops: The Line, and laws regarding licensing... and removal of games because of the law.

[WhispersOfTheWind]

It seems that Spec Ops: The Line has been removed from Steam because allegedly the soundtrack of the game has expired in terms of licensing and therefore it would be illegal if the game would be further distributed with the music available in the game. This isn't the first case of this happening and I fear it won't be the last, but.

Because this is a huge pity, removal of games because of this reason and often this reason alone do you think that the laws regarding licensing of music in video games should change to accommodate games not being removed from store fronts after a certain period? Do you think this should also be done for other licensed content like for instance other brands like cars in racing games and equivalent?

Personally I do not often leave music on in games because to me it is distracting and for me it takes away from the game itself so I wouldn't mind for instance if the developers removed the music or copyrighted material but a far more sufficient and satisfying outcome I believe would be that if the worldwide lawmakers would just make an exception for games and perhaps other media wherein this is the case where licensing works only for a set period of time, by either rewriting the laws in these use cases or making new laws for this end?

Do you think this would be a good idea and could we somehow get the ball to roll on this issue if you agree?

Please tell me what you feel in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe, click the bell icon and share this with your friends!

[inpurpleshadows]

Oh ♥♥♥♥. I didn't even know Spec Ops: The Line was delisted from Steam. I thankfully did buy the game this Christmas so I can still play it.

I'm not a lawyer and don't know a lot about the legal system, but I do think the game should still be sold, even if they were to take out the copyrighted music.

[🍋 Lemonfed 🍋]

if it's just music license getting expired then it's very possible the game might come back later if the developers consider it's worth the effort in either removing the songs or renewing the license.

both GTA 4 and Alan Wake been taken off the stores for a while when this happened.

GTA 4 had songs removed while Alan Wake developers just renewed their license.

[livinggg]

Originally posted by WhispersOfWind:

the worldwide lawmakers

no

[inpurpleshadows]

Originally posted by 🍋 Lemonfed 🍋:

if it's just music license getting expired then it's very possible the game might come back later if the developers consider it's worth the effort in either removing the songs or renewing the license.

both GTA 4 and Alan Wake been taken off the stores for a while when this happened.

GTA 4 had songs removed while Alan Wake developers just renewed their license.

If GTA IV and Alan Wake were delisted and eventually were available for purchase again, I think the same thing could happen to Spec Ops: The Line. Even if people were upset with the songs being removed, I'm pretty sure they can still add them back via mods.

[WhispersOfTheWind]

Originally posted by bisder:

Originally posted by WhispersOfWind:

the worldwide lawmakers

no

My humble apologies.

[sleeps]

at least i can still download it you weakling >:)

[Valfossa]

Ah the perks of digital gaming.

[Pierce Dalton]

Originally posted by 🍋 Lemonfed 🍋:

if it's just music license getting expired then it's very possible the game might come back later if the developers consider it's worth the effort in either removing the songs or renewing the license.

both GTA 4 and Alan Wake been taken off the stores for a while when this happened.

GTA 4 had songs removed while Alan Wake developers just renewed their license.

It's extremely ironic that a less resourceful company (Remedy) decided to renew the license while Rockstar simply removed the songs lol.

[wesnef]

"Just remove the songs".

When they're part of a big collection of songs on a radio station, that might be simple.

When it's a song that was specifically chosen to fit into a whole scene as part of the experience/composition/atmosphere/etc. . . not so easy. Well, yes, still 'easy' - but only if you effectively destroy that scene.

And if a game isn't making that much money any more, re-licensing might not be considered worth it for many devs/publishers.

Originally posted by Pierce Dalton:

It's extremely ironic that a less resourceful company (Remedy) decided to renew the license while Rockstar simply removed the songs lol.

It's not 'resourceful' or not - as I mentioned, I'm sure the Alan Wake song was important to the game. While GTA has lots of songs, a few removed here and there doesn't make much difference.
(also, the GTA series is different. The release of Alan Wake 2 would encourage sales of AW1 for people wanting to catch up on the full story. So Remedy would want to keep it in full working order. The release of GTA 6 isn't likely to drive sales of GTA 5 or 4.)