Ubisoft has quietly pulled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag from Steam
We're not saying that the rumors of the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag remake are true, but we wouldn't be surprised if it's announced either.
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Yeah but why? Does it cost money to keep the game available?
Perhaps to make people pay for the new one.
That makes no sense. Black Flag is a completely different genre to modern AC.
Didn't you read the post? They are probably doing a remaster or remake and don't want people to buy the old version...
That would only make sense if you a) had a competing product on the market or b) at the very least actually announced one. The remaster/remake is a mere rumour, we don't even know if there's substance behind it.
They oppose piracy /s
Opportunity cost, possibly. They might be remastering it and wish to sell it at a higher cost, or think they can get more money through a different retailer.
That game seems pretty loved, I wouldn't be that surprised about a remaster. Though it would have to be a pretty barebones if it can't compete with a ten year old release.
A lot of publishers remove the original game when they release a 'remaster'. Burnout Paradise, Metro Last Light, etc
Hosting your game on steam is indeed not free, and the price can vary greatly. It may not be the reason of the removal though
Had to look it up for curiosity's sake.
In order to get fully set up, you will need to pay a $100.00 fee for each product you wish to distribute on Steam (the "Steam Direct Fee").... This fee is not refundable, but will be recoupable in the payment made after your product has at least $1,000.00 Adjusted Gross Revenue for Steam Store and in-app purchases. Steamworks Partner Program
While not free, seems to be no overhead for the length of stay on Steam that I can see. Another site includes some more description which might add to the cost though
The cost to put a game on Steam depends on the type of game, the development budget [1], and the business model. To get a game onto Steam, developers need to pay a one-time registration fee of $100. After that, they will need to pay a 30% royalty fee. Additionally, developers may need to pay for marketing and other costs associated with the release of their game. source
Regardless, it's just another unfortunate case of physical copies/backups>subscriptions or "licensing/rent" deals.
So steam basically is using a cut of a games sales to pay for hosting.